Title: Devising the convergence manufacturing strategy for productivity improvement: Effectiveness based on the human element

Authors: Goel Kahen

Addresses: IC-Parc, William Penney Lab., Imperial College, University of London, London SW7 2AZ, UK

Abstract: The strategy for achieving continuous productivity improvement in engineering and technology management has been crucial for enterprises and countries during the last decade. Within this paper, we are looking for a feasible and reliable strategy providing a smooth context in which the human-technology system could move to achieve continuous productivity improvement. The new and emerging strategy, from the author|s point of view, moves through the most successful technical strategies in the production process during the last decade: total quality control (TQC), just in time (JIT), factory automation (FA) and total production maintenance (TPM). Focus is on the human side of advanced manufacturing systems within an effective strategy for |continuous productivity improvement|.

Keywords: advanced manufacturing systems; emerging strategy; human factors; productivity improvement; continuous improvement; engineering management; technology management; total quality control; TQC; just-in-time; JIT; factory automation; total production maintenance; TPM.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.1997.036349

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 1997 Vol.12 No.1, pp.18 - 26

Published online: 02 Nov 2010 *

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