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  • Publication
    Manufacturing philosophy for the new European factory
    ( 1993)
    Mertins, K.
    ;
    Albrecht, R.
    ;
    Edeler, H.
    In the last few years we had a sophisticated discussion about the factory of the future. This vision is mainly influenced by new market demands and organizational changes. The development has changed from CIM to Lean Production. After automatization of processes with computers new principles of teamwork, human communication, efficient use of ressources and continuous process improvement are under discussion. Especially the economic results of japanese automotive industry are spectacular: half the human effort in the factory, half the manufacturing space, half the investment, half the engineering hours and half the time to develop new products. But, are these effects direct results of an unique management philosophy? Or is Lean Production only a actual concept that may change in some years? Some generally successful used methods will be described in this paper.