The lean Japanese production systems that brought success to that country's manufacturing industries have reached their limits. This book examines the question of how to restructure robust technology bases to enhance the competitiveness of manufacturing industries.

Why do some laboratories generate ideas that are more commercialized than others? This book compares 120 R&D laboratory organizations and 267 scientists and engineers to provide an answer. The most important single factor was practicing the principles of concurrency, which means diverse functions perform their tasks simultaneously rather than serially. For example, laboratory organizations engaged in teaming across functions, such as research, development, manufacturing, marketing, and headquarters were not only more inventive, but also more commercially successful.

Plant Maintenance and Reliability Engineering provides both theoretical and practical knowledge together with the latest technological concepts and research in the field. The topics covered in this book are an integral part of the syllabi in most of the universities in India and meet the requirements of the course plant maintenance and reliability engineering taught in mechanical engineering and all allied branches.