T.C. Cheng - Böcker

Because of the many important new developments in other branches of science, some scientists fail to recognize that the volume of polyolefins produced annually is greater than that of all metals. Hence, the American Chemical Society s"ponsored symposia on the History of Polyolefins at its national meeting at Miami Beach in the Spring of 1985 and a Macromolecular Secretariat on Advances in Polyolefins at its national meeting in Chicago in the fall of that year. The books on the proceedings of these landmark symposia and another book entitled "The Chain Straighteners" by Dr. F. M. McMillan will provide the scientist with background information which is essential for re- searchers in this important phase of polymer science. The presentations at these international symposia and the publica- tions of the reports presented, would not be possible without the dedicated efforts of our assistant editors and publisher. The list of contributors to ADVANCES IN POLYOLEFINS includes most of the leaders in this field, such as Dr. Mark, Mandelkern, Bruzzone, Hsieh, Kaneda, Chien, Tait, Karol, Kaminisky, Scott, Cook, Mirabella, Samuels, Kanamoto and Vigo.These reports covered many phases of polyolefin science and technol- ogy, ranging from elastomers, single crystals, film and fibers to char- acterizations by modern instrumentation and many new innovations in catalysis which have brought about a revolution in polyolefin production.

The goal of Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing is to strengthen a company's competitiveness in the market place through a series of dedicated, concerted and continuous efforts aimed at eliminating waste of all kinds within the company. JIT manufacturing works on the principle that the necessary products are only produced in the necessary quantities at the necessary times. While this JIT production principle sounds simple, to implement it in practice is by no means a simple task. The objective of this publication is to meet the educational needs of managers and engineers in companies contemplating a switch to JIT manufacturing. It introduces the reader to the history, philosophy and issues of JIT manufacturing. The thrust of the book concerns the three fundamental building blocks of JIT manufacturing, namely setting up a JIT production system, improving quality, and instilling total employee involvement. JIT implementation issues are covered and supported by industrial case studies. This book should be of interest to engineers and production management in industry, as well as quality professionals and senior undergraduate and graduate students in engineering and business studies.

This introductory text discusses in-depth the implementation of JIT manufacturing. It aims to acquaint the reader with the overall JIT concept and the factors necessary for its implementation, and to reinforce this with an actual case study of JIT implementation in a manufacturing company. It should be of interest to undergraduates/postgraduates in engineering, business administration and management.