The manufacturing industries remain the foundation of local, regional, and global economies. Manufacturing plants operate in dynamic markets that demand upgrading with transformational technologies for maintaining profitability, competitiveness, and business sustainability. Yet most manufacturing plants currently use technologies that are no longer competitive and industry leaders face an overwhelming array of operational challenges that require agile and enhanced transformational solutions. This book offers manufacturers effective strategies and tools for the adoption and implementation of advanced operational technologies to ensure long-term innovation, efficiency, and profitability. The book covers advanced automation integration in manufacturing, including digitization, AI, machine learning, IIoT, and cybersecurity. It describes innovation, development, and integration of control technologies for sustainable manufacturing. It explains how to upgrade existing manufacturing plants for the global market. It shows how to apply emerging technologies including asset optimization and process integration for product lifecycle improvements, plant operation and maintenance enhancement, and supply chain integration. This book serves as a strategic guide to applying advanced operational technologies for engineers, industry professionals, and management in the manufacturing sector.

Chemical sensors are integral to the automation of myriad industrial processes and everyday monitoring of such activities as public safety, engine performance, medical therapeutics, and many more. This 5 volume reference work covering simulation and modeling will serve as the perfect complement to Momentum Press's 6 volume reference works 'Chemical Sensors: Fundamentals of Sensing Materials' and 'Chemical Sensors: Comprehensive Sensor Technologies', which present detailed information related to materials, technologies, construction and application of various devices for chemical sensing. This 5 volume comprehensive reference work analyzes approaches used for computer simulation and modeling in various fields of chemical sensing and discusses various phenomena important for chemical sensing such as bulk and surface diffusion, adsorption, surface reactions, sintering, conductivity, mass transport, interphase interactions, etc. In this work it will be shown that theoretical modeling and simulation of the processes, being a basic for chemical sensors operation, could provide considerable progress in choosing both optimal materials and optimal configurations of sensing elements for using in chemical sensors. Each simulation and modeling volume in the present series reviews modeling principles and approaches peculiar to specific groups of materials and devices applied for chemical sensing. Volume 3: Solid State Devices covers phenomenological and molecular modelling of processes which control sensing characteristics and parameters of various solid state chemical sensors including surface acoustic wave, MIS, microcantilever, thermoelectric-based devices and sensor array aimed for electronic nose design. Modeling of nanomaterials and nanosystems promising for solid state chemical sensors design is analyzed as well.

All machining process are dependent on a number of inherent process parameters. It is of the utmost importance to find suitable combinations to all the process parameters so that the desired output response is optimized. While doing so may be nearly impossible or too expensive by carrying out experiments at all possible combinations, it may be done quickly and efficiently by using computational intelligence techniques. Due to the versatile nature of computational intelligence techniques, they can be used at different phases of the machining process design and optimization process. While powerful machine-learning methods like gene expression programming (GEP), artificial neural network (ANN), support vector regression (SVM), and more can be used at an early phase of the design and optimization process to act as predictive models for the actual experiments, other metaheuristics-based methods like cuckoo search, ant colony optimization, particle swarm optimization, and others can be used to optimize these predictive models to find the optimal process parameter combination. These machining and optimization processes are the future of manufacturing. Data-Driven Optimization of Manufacturing Processes contains the latest research on the application of state-of-the-art computational intelligence techniques from both predictive modeling and optimization viewpoint in both soft computing approaches and machining processes. The chapters provide solutions applicable to machining or manufacturing process problems and for optimizing the problems involved in other areas of mechanical, civil, and electrical engineering, making it a valuable reference tool. This book is addressed to engineers, scientists, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in the potential of recently developed powerful computational intelligence techniques towards improving the performance of machining processes.

Welcome to the world of McDonald's*r Happy Meal*r collecting! Within the pages of this comprehensive book you will find a complete listing and updated price guide for the thousands of toys, promotional items, and other McDonald's collectibles distributed in the United States from June,1979 through the end of 1989. Hundreds of color photographs illustrate the wide variety of Happy Meal promotions of this decade, including boxes, bags, premiums, and advertising materials.The authors have established a definitive numbering system which identifies and distinguishes each of the items, and check-off boxes are provided to help you organize and document your own collection. Brief historical comments from each year chronicle the phenomenal growth and success of the McDonald's Corporation during the 1980s. For the fast food collector and enthusiast, this is the definitive guide to Happy Mealr toys from the 1980s! Be sure to complete your McDonald's library with the Losonskys' companion volumes, McDonald's*r Pre-Happy Meal*r Toys from the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies, McDonald's*r Happy Meal*r Toys from the Nineties, and McDonald's*r Happy Meal*r Toys Around the World.

Our work life is changing. Every day new companies, technologies, and ideas emerge that impact how, where, and most importantly, why we work. Despite this exciting evolution, people remain the heart of change. People are tricky. People don't seem to evolve as fast as global trends. People get Stuck. Teams have people moving at different speeds with different levels of adoption in our evolving workplace. Some evolve and some don't. Teams get Stuck. Leaders, managers, and teammates struggle with this resistance and get frustrated. Frustrated people impact the performance of every organization. Organizations get Stuck. Why? The answer is deeply human and biological, rooted in the way our brain interacts with everything in the world, even work. When people feel they are losing something, they react by getting Stuck. Stuck connects over 20 years of research on our brain's reaction to the evolving workplace with real stories of people journeying through the challenge of being Stuck. The organizations, leaders, and managers who understand these concepts will evolve with the future. Those organizations will understand LOSS as a tool to achieve business WINs. This book addresses a critical concept that closes a gap in other popular business publications. Many books tell leaders and managers the process of how to change their organizations. However, many of these books lack a key mechanism for understanding human interactions. The mechanism is a biological function developed through evolution called attachment - the human need to connect to different tangible and intangible objects for support. Attachment is the reason that people connect with leaders and corporate culture, but also what creates a deep sense of loss during even the smallest changes. Stuck offers a complete understanding of attachment and how it impacts individuals, relationships, and organizations. The root of the challenge is the human need to connect to different tangible and intangible objects for support. The basis of the need for support is grounded in our need for attachment. Those who learn to understand loss through attachment behavior and the attachments of others will succeed. In addition, this book provides original data-based evidence from assessments conducted with nearly 20,000 respondents and original stories from the application of attachment concepts in more than 150 organizations across all sectors around the globe. It shines a light on attachment and use it as a lens to better understand our workplace. Stuck is not an academic study. It is a practical guide for leading the brain through change. For the first time, the authors tell stories that demonstrate their research and offer a roadmap for how to leverage attachment research to drive business success. Stuck provides not only the deep lessons from the authors' research, but clear steps for readers to use the lessons of attachment in their own work. In this way, the book serves as a guide to those leaders, managers, and employees who are ready to be unStuck.

The authors joined forces professionally when Kathy hired Shannon to be a member of her leadership team. This book describes the transformation they led to convert operations from traditional manufacturing to a lean enterprise. Kathy (executive leader responsible for profitability) and Shannon (transformation leader) share the finer points of a comprehensive change process, the challenges and triumphs, and the real emotion involved during their quest for success. Each describes the professional journey from their unique perspective and the highlights of an endearing friendship that was formed along the way. This story will inspire female leaders in any organization, showcasing an example of high-performing women thriving in an intense and fast-paced world. Kathy and Shannon are role models for those juggling intense, fulfilling careers, alongside life's complexities such as dual-career marriages and raising children. Their story provides a powerful case study of women supporting each other in the workplace to drive positive culture and significantly improved business results by leading with authenticity and inclusivity.

Intelligent systems are systems that, given some data, are able to learn from that data. This makes it possible for complex systems to be modeled and/or for performance to be predicted. In turn, intelligent systems functionality can be controlled through learning/training, without the need for a priori knowledge of their structure. Intelligent Systems for Machine Olfaction: Tools and Methodologies introduces new, state-of-the art applications of intelligent systems to researchers and developers in the area of machine olfaction. Readers will benefit from in-depth analyses of fundamental theories, potential trends, and key literature in the field, making this work both a source of application examples that can be readily implemented and a practical guide for the implementation of solutions in other scenarios.

"Two of the most important trends in sensor development in recent years have been advances in micromachined sensing elements of all kinds, and the increase in intelligence applied at the sensor level. This book addresses both, and provides a good overview of current technology." -- I&CS

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a method for satisfying customers by translating their demands into design targets and quality assurance points. For a thorough "how-to" on the implementation of QFD, we went directly to the source -- Yoji Akao, the creator of QFD and one of the foremost leaders of the Japanese Total Quality Control movement.

In this unprecedented book he explains the concepts and methods of this remarkable systems engineering approach. Filled with case studies, detailed charts, and over 100 diagrams, this book is a complete reference tool for QFD implementation.

It includesa " Use of the demanded quality deployment chart. Using and promoting quality charts. Using quality control process charts: QFD at the pre-production. Quality deployment and reliability deployment. Quality development in the construction industry. QFD for the service industry. QFD for software development.

Increasing legislative and environmental pressure requires businesses to become more responsive to products that either have been returned or that are at the end of their useful lives. Life cycles are getting shorter, and efficient handling can save large amounts of money since many materials can be extracted and reused or redistributed. Reverse logistics (RL) and closed loop supply chains (CLSC) have garnered growing interest as a way to manage this reverse flow of product in a cost effective way. Introduction to Management of Reverse Logistics (RL) and Closed Loop Supply Chain(CLSC) Processes provides an overall treatment of CLSC and RL, a qualitative and quantitative presentation of the size and dimensions of the overall market and industry, and a look at future trends. The author discusses key issues and trends in management and operation, strategic, tactical, and operational issues for implementation, and a pragmatic evaluation of the realities of running a CLSC or an RL business. Since most supply chains are not designed to handle reverse materials flows effectively, this is a crucial resource for managers who wish to ensure a smooth flow of materials while extracting the maximum value from returned and end-of-life goods.

This book focuses on the implementation of Hoshin Kanri. It is a response to most books on strategic planning that tend to downplay the implementation and only describe the fully implemented planning process. The power of this book originates from a project in which a team of five professionals over a period of three years implemented Hoshin Kanri in 14 companies; results were drawn from 130 workshops with leadership teams. The project team subsequently ran several accelerators inside large and small companies as well as public institutions. All these experiences together form the implementation focus of the book. Moreover, the organization of the book mirrors the message of its scientific thinking, which is also the basic principle of Hoshin Kanri: Chapter 1 focuses on the basic analysis-Is Hoshin Kanri something for your organization? Chapter 2 addresses the ambition-What is the vision for strategy work in your organization? Chapter 3 presents the conditions needed for effective strategic work. Chapter 4 discusses the choice of implementation strategy and your role as the change agent. Chapter 5 describes how Hoshin Kanri works when implemented. Chapter 6 addresses coaching/mentoring and the Kata philosophy. Chapter 7 presents important analytical tools. Appendix 1 describes the journey made by a medium-sized construction company. Essentially, this book describes in a concrete and structured way how you-the change agent-can use Hoshin Kanri in your organization to tackle large and complex challenges.

Increased industrial capacity, manufacturing output, and manufacturing technology all contribute significantly to a country's GDP. Manufacturing is the foundation of industrial production, so improving its methods and infrastructure is crucial for progress. Recent years have seen the introduction of a wide range of energy- and resource-efficient, environmentally friendly, and occupationally safe manufacturing techniques, and this book focuses on these latest techniques, as well as continuous advancement, in order to meet current challenges. The book is divided into three sections: (1) subtractive manufacturing, (2) additive manufacturing, and (3) the use of artificial intelligence in manufacturing. It discusses micromaching, metal-based additive manufacturing, polymer-based additive manufacturing, hybrid additive manufacturing, and finally artificial intelligence in manufacturing. Futuristic Manufacturing: Perpetual Advancement and Research Challenges connects modern manufacturing methods and emerging trends in the industry. It adds a thorough examination of modern manufacturing techniques and modifications that may be implemented in the future, and is an excellent resource of information for undergraduate and graduate students in manufacturing.

The vast expansion of the sensor and actuator field in recent years has necessitated the creation of a handbook series to clarify scientific developments.

First in the new series, Handbook of Sensors and Actuators, which will examine a broad range of topics across the discipline, this volume explores thick-film technology. The area has already achieved a high rank in the families of advanced solid sensor technologies but there has been limited acknowledgement of its future potential. This publication aims to increase the involvement of internationally recognised sensor experts by suggesting possible directions for further investigation. In this pursuit, it disseminates the data identifying the actual performances and applications of thick-film sensors manufactured all over the world and presents ideas underlying current activities in the research and development of new devices.

Three major areas are explored in which thick film technology contributes as a sensor technology, namely: hybrid circuits for signal processing (in combination with either thick-film sensing elements or transducing elements derived from other technologies), creation of architectural structures (eg. multilayer structures, integrated chips with chemical sensing elements, sensor arrays) and transducing elements derived from thick-film pastes. However, the unique properties and chances offered by thick-film technology for sensor manufacture might not be appreciated without emphasis on both scientific and technological features which are either common or distinguished from those of the major alternative technologies, namely silicon, thin films and ceramic. These are therefore also considered, enabling the volume to offer a balanced view of the state-of-the-art in this exciting field.

Coaching is a necessary skill for managers. It is important as a fundamental part of an organization's talent efforts-including talent acquisition, development and retention strategies. For a coaching program to succeed in an organization, it should be recognized as a useful approach throughout the organization and become part of the fabric of the corporate culture. Performance Coaching for Managers provides an important tool for organizations to use to train their managers on coaching. This book differs significantly from other books in the coaching market. Many books on coaching cast coaches as facilitators who question their clients (the coachees), helping them to articulate their own problems, formulate their own solutions, develop their own action plans to solve problems, and measure the success of efforts to implement those plans. That is called a nondirective approach. But this book adopts a directive approach by casting the coach as a manager who diagnoses the problems with worker job performance and offers specific advice on how to solve those problems. While there is nothing wrong with a nondirective approach, it does not always work well in job performance reviews in which the manager must inform the worker about gaps between what is needed (the desired) and what is performed (the actual). The significant difference between what is currently available in the market and what is offered in this book is the authors' collective experience of over 70 combined years of hands-on research and delivery experiences in the Human Resources Development field. According to the Harvard Business Review (2015), workers generally expect their immediate supervisors to give them honest feedback on how well they do their jobs-and specific advice on what to do if they are not performing in alignment with organizational expectations. When workers do not receive advice-but instead are questioned about their own views-they regard their managers as either incompetent or disingenuous. Effective managers should be able to offer direction to their employees. After all, managers are responsible for ensuring that their organizational units deliver the results needed by the organization. If they fail to do that, the organization does not achieve its strategic goals. This book gives managers direction in how to offer directive coaching to their workers.

Validation of computer systems is the process that assures the formal assessment and report of quality and performance measures for all the life-cycle stages of software and system development, its implementation, qualification and acceptance, operation, modification, requalification, maintenance and retirement (PICS CSV PI 011-3). It is a process that demonstrates the compliance of computer systems functional and non-functional requirements, data integrity, regulated company procedures and safety requirements, industry standards, and applicable regulatory authority's requirements. Compliance is a state of being in adherence to application-related standards or conventions or regulations in laws and similar prescriptions. This book, which is relevant to the pharmaceutical and medical devices regulated operations, provides practical information to assist in the computer validation to production systems, while highlighting and efficiently integrating worldwide regulation into the subject. A practical approach is presented to increase efficiency and to ensure that the validation of computer systems is correctly achieved.

In his latest offering, John Davis tackles the "human" side of a lean initiative -- cultivating a lean culture and gaining employee buy-in. How managers deal with these issues will ultimately determine their success. Leading the Lean Initiative: Straight Talk on Cultivating Support and Buy-in shows you how to lead a lean effort and effectively manage change. It is a practical manual for the new manager. Though directed at plant managers, and specifically those new to their jobs, this book benefits anyone taking on a leadership role. Davis provides complete direction on the crucial first steps and advise on competently responding to the "unknown and unexpected." In addition the book covers how to: Gain the respect and active support of the workforce. Work effectively with unions and customers. Create a culture for change. Actively seek out key people in your organization. Diplomatically buck the system. Extend lean to the entire enterprise. Develop and effectively earmark your plan for operation. Cultivate a winning relationship with your boss. Deal with major setbacks in business conditions.Throughout the text, Davis weaves the story of Jim Warring, a plant manager who is new to the job, detailing his frustrations, challenges, and accomplishments, and how he handles the daily responsibilities of a plant manager. At the end of each chapter, Davis rates Warring on how he performed in his role as plant manager and as a leader of the plant's lean initiative by presenting "The Warring Scorecard." Davis points out where he succeeded, and where he made some serious mistakes. Leading the Lean Initiative: Straight Talk on Cultivating Support and Buy-in, is a valuable resource or all managers in any industry. This book will show you how to effectively lead in your organization and how to cultivate a cooperative environment.

Why are some work partnerships exceptional while most are not? How can we establish and sustain an enhanced level of cohesion, connection, and collaboration in the most important work relationship, the one between a manager and team? What could remedy the high levels of isolation and anxiety so many feel at work these days? Silver and Franz explore the concept of 'meaningful partnership' in the workplace. They present meaningful partnership as a mindset where both leaders and their teams are fully committed to ensuring the support and success of the other. Then, they describe a model called ERTAP, which stands for Empathy, Respect, Trust, Alignment, and Partnership, which is the foundation for meaningful partnership. Finally, they detail a practical yet transformative relationship-building process referred to as the Workplace Covenant. This enables leaders and teams to create mutual commitments with obligatory weight that help them to feel accountable for the success of the relationship and each other. The book includes real client stories that illustrate the dimensions of partnership and the Workplace Covenant process. Silver and Franz also outline other work relationships that can benefit from meaningful partnership, pitfalls to avoid, relevant research, and insights derived from years of consulting experience. This book is a must-read for leaders interested in a better working relationship with their team; for teams who have critical work partnerships with other teams; for individuals who work closely with other individuals and need an exceptional 1:1 partnership; and finally for third-party experts in HR or continuous improvement who are seeking a new powerful way to help clients feel supported and be more successful.

The emergence of the book was not merely an event of world historical importance, but the dawn of modernity. In this much praised work, Lucien Febvre and Henri-Jean Martin mesh together economic and technological history, sociology and anthropology, with the study of consciousness itself to root the development of printing in the changing social relations and ideological struggles of Western Europe. Now that the printed page may become a thing of the past, "The Coming of the Book" is more pertinent than ever.
The Verso World History Series This series provides attractive new editions of classic works of history, making landmark texts available to a new generation of readers. Covering a time-span stretching from Ancient Greece and Rome to the twentieth century, and with a global geographical range, the series will also include thematic volumes providing insights into such topics as the spread of print cultures and the history of money.

"A powerful and urgent introduction to lean marketing and the magic of getting it right." -- Seth Godin, author, This is Marketing You may be familiar with the Silicon Valley expression about the iterative approach to software development, "We're learning to fly the plane while we're building it." If so, think of a startup-with all its moving parts, phases, and personalities-as flying a plane, while you're building it, booking passengers, marketing the airline, interviewing co-pilots, and serving coffee. In this book, Orly Zeewy navigates the turbulence and provides a flight plan so you know when you've landed in the right airport. Orly Zeewy is a brand architect who helps startups cut through the noise. She has worked with dozens of founders and entrepreneurs to uncover their brands' DNA. In Ready, Launch, Brand: The Lean Marketing Guide for Startups you will learn how to close the marketing gaps that can slow down sales and make it harder to scale your business. Orly shares her brand process for building the right team, attracting brand evangelists, and cultivating a sustainable company culture. Prior to starting her brand consulting practice, Orly ran the award-winning Zeewy Design and Marketing Communications firm and directed marketing programs for national clients such as CIGNA, Kraft Foods, and Prince Tennis. She has lectured at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, taught at the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship at Drexel University, and been featured in the business section of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Wireless sensor networks have recently received a high level of attention due to their wide applications in military and civilian operations. Security for Wireless Sensor Networks discusses fundamental security issues in wireless sensor networks, techniques for the protection of such networks, as well results from recent studies in wireless sensor network security. This volume assists both professionals and students to understand background knowledge in wireless sensor network security and prepare them for producing research in this domain. Security for Wireless Sensor Networks is designed for a professional audience composed of researchers and practitioners in industry. This book is also suitable as a secondary text for graduate-level students in computer science.

Dealing with a complicated watch used to be a rare job for the watch repairer, but with the popularity of the automatic, it is almost commonplace. Furthermore, the increased interest in calendar work, alarm watches, and chronographs will undoubtedly bring more and more complicated work into the workshop. This book deals with complicated work essentially from the repairer's point of view. The action of each mechanism is briefly and clearly described because understanding this is essential to proper servicing, repair and testing for functioning. Dismantling and assembly instructions are given, as well as oiling charts and - most important - hints on fault-finding and their rectification. Another essential feature of the book is that it deals with all complicated work - from the relatively simple automatic to the triple-complicated watch with chronograph, calendar and repeater work, and the very complicated clock watch. Exceptional care has been taken in the preparation of diagrams, which have been drawn from actual movements in various stages of assembly, so that the reader can actually work with the book illustrations beside the watch itself. As always with books by Donald de Carle, instructions are easy to follow and there is no reason why anyone well versed in ordinary work and able to use watchmakers' tools should not become a specialist in complicated watches and their repair.

With the increasing complexity and dynamism in today's product design and manufacturing, more optimal, robust and practical approaches and systems are needed to support product design and manufacturing activities. Multi-objective Evolutionary Optimisation for Product Design and Manufacturing presents a focused collection of quality chapters on state-of-the-art research efforts in multi-objective evolutionary optimisation, as well as their practical applications to integrated product design and manufacturing. Multi-objective Evolutionary Optimisation for Product Design and Manufacturing consists of two major sections. The first presents a broad-based review of the key areas of research in multi-objective evolutionary optimisation. The second gives in-depth treatments of selected methodologies and systems in intelligent design and integrated manufacturing. Recent developments and innovations in multi-objective evolutionary optimisation make Multi-objective Evolutionary Optimisation for Product Design and Manufacturing a useful text for a broad readership, from academic researchers to practicing engineers.

This wonderful book has become the standard pocket guide in the field. It is just what collectors need for quick and easy reference...and its newly updated prices make it invaluable. Both handy and beautiful, it shows over 500 pens and pencils in nearly full-size color photos and provides short histories of nineteen main manufacturing companies. Concise, helpful information with each photo includes a guide to the price of each pen and pencil.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2018 Bestselling author Simon Winchester writes a magnificent history of the pioneering engineers who developed precision machinery to allow us to see as far as the moon and as close as the Higgs boson. Precision is the key to everything. It is an integral, unchallenged and essential component of our modern social, mercantile, scientific, mechanical and intellectual landscapes. The items we value in our daily lives – a camera, phone, computer, bicycle, car, a dishwasher perhaps – all sport components that fit together with precision and operate with near perfection. We also assume that the more precise a device the better it is. And yet whilst we live lives peppered and larded with precision, we are not, when we come to think about it, entirely sure what precision is, or what it means. How and when did it begin to build the modern world? Simon Winchester seeks to answer these questions through stories of precision’s pioneers. Exactly takes us back to the origins of the Industrial Age, to Britain where he introduces the scientific minds that helped usher in modern production: John ‘Iron-Mad’ Wilkinson, Henry Maudslay, Joseph Bramah, Jesse Ramsden, and Joseph Whitworth. Thomas Jefferson exported their discoveries to the United States as manufacturing developed in the early twentieth century, with Britain’s Henry Royce developing the Rolls Royce and Henry Ford mass producing cars, Hattori’s Seiko and Leica lenses, to today’s cutting-edge developments from Europe, Asia and North America. As he introduces the minds and methods that have changed the modern world, Winchester explores fundamental questions. Why is precision important? What are the different tools we use to measure it? Who has invented and perfected it? Has the pursuit of the ultra-precise in so many facets of human life blinded us to other things of equal value, such as an appreciation for the age-old traditions of craftsmanship, art, and high culture? Are we missing something that reflects the world as it is, rather than the world as we think we would wish it to be? And can the precise and the natural co-exist in society?

This book helps business leaders see how employees, companies, and missions all interact with each other, as well as with society at large, in systems and subsystems at various levels. It helps leaders learn how to connect the dots, becoming customer-centric in everything they do and then spreading the same goals down to their supply chains. The book discusses what is, and what is not, leadership, covering such topics as statistics-based management, process-improvement, and human resources. The author accomplishes this through a blend of Lean culture and managerial theory, as well as his military experience. In addition, the author contrasts many opposing subjects, such as efficiencies of scale versus efficiencies of build, automation versus process improvement, process innovation versus product innovation, technical versus tactical proficiency, and pull versus push production. With most books focused on Lean initiatives, there is a tremendous amount of benefit involved in creating customer value while reducing waste, but this book takes a holistic approach, blending in modern managerial theory, team leadership skills, and economics. The result is a book that changes how the reader approaches business. Essentially, the purpose of this book is to blend modern management theories with the culture of Lean (and perhaps a sprinkling of economics) to show current business leaders how to create organizations that are as customer-oriented and highly efficient in delivering value as possible. If one thinks of each role in an organization as a spot on an assembly line, where everything each person does creates output someone else uses, the question becomes whether or not each person's activities maximize the effectiveness of others. Do we, as organizations, set ourselves up for success or for failure? Most companies, if they answer honestly, would say, "A little bit of both." This book is about helping those companies improve.