The management of production is faced with ever greater challenges as global competion mounts. The problems revolve around the paradox of flexibility and productivity in the organization of production: how to compete on price while retaining the capability to respond quickly to market changes; how to develop new products faster without jeopardizing product integrity; how to increase quality while reducing costs. The recent research on lean production has explored some of these questions in the context of the motor industry. This book takes a broader audit of these issues across the full range of the metalworking sector in the United Kingdom. Focusing on the engineering/manufacturing interface, the research presented here explores how 15 leading British firms are facing up to the challenges of the 90s.

The management of production is faced with ever greater challenges as global competion mounts. The problems revolve around the paradox of flexibility and productivity in the organization of production: how to compete on price while retaining the capability to respond quickly to market changes; how to develop new products faster without jeopardizing product integrity; how to increase quality while reducing costs. The recent research on lean production has explored some of these questions in the context of the motor industry. This book takes a broader audit of these issues across the full range of the metalworking sector in the United Kingdom. Focusing on the engineering/manufacturing interface, the research presented here explores how 15 leading British firms are facing up to the challenges of the 90s.

The management of production is faced with ever greater challenges as global competion mounts. The problems revolve around the paradox of flexibility and productivity in the organization of production: how to compete on price while retaining the capability to respond quickly to market changes; how to develop new products faster without jeopardizing product integrity; how to increase quality while reducing costs. The recent research on lean production has explored some of these questions in the context of the motor industry. This book takes a broader audit of these issues across the full range of the metalworking sector in the United Kingdom. Focusing on the engineering/manufacturing interface, the research presented here explores how 15 leading British firms are facing up to the challenges of the 90s.