From the automotive industry to the semiconductor industry, manufacturers are suffering from an overabundance of automation methods that they cannot fully comprehend or afford, and glamorous leadership techniques that are simply not sustainable. In this respect, management has lost its way. Beyond World-Class Productivity shows why a return to traditional tools and the power of people can help companies meet today's challenges in the manufacturing sector. Beyond World-Class Productivity gives readers a balance of essential information, theory and case studies. Readers can expect to gain new insights into engineering approaches to productivity, profitability and real or non-real gain, including: * useful tools for industrial engineering * effectiveness in unit labor costs; * feasibility studies * work simplification; and * developing mind innovation. Practical examples and their accompanying commentary come from the author's 40 years of real-world experience on the shop floor and in the boardroom. Figures are also provided to illustrate actual productivity results from real companies. Both managers and engineers can appreciate Beyond World-Class Productivity as an enlightening guide to the improvement of productivity and profitability within the manufacturing sector.

Industrial engineering is not known for its contribution to management requirements, which can be both challenging and varied. However, productivity and profitability are subjects that preoccupy manufacturers, distributors, warehouse managers and third-party logistics firms, many of which are multinational companies that cater to an end customer thousands of miles away. Industrial engineers must therefore follow a balance between maintaining a commitment to basic traditional tools that have been proven to improve productivity and keeping up with the evolution of their profession by staying informed about and trained in modern approaches.

This "balance" of essential information, theory, case studies, and a thorough examination of many timeless applications for productivity and profitability is evidenced in Beyond World-Class Productivity. It serves as a practical, informative source of information in the field of industrial engineering because it is neither an instruction manual nor a theoretical textbook. Practical examples and commentary come from the author's 40 years of real-world experience on the shop floor and in the boardroom.

Industrial engineering has a tendency to devote its time to "non-real gain" activities, or to making small improvements occasionally with a small-cycle time reduction. The effect of this "improvement" is calculated by annual reduced cycle time - an effect which consequently is practically invisible.

Instead, industrial engineers should aim to achieve real gain; for example, reducing the allocated number of workers to reduce paid hours immediately, but accruing the same or more powerful results. Management, particularly in human resources departments, is most interested in this type of gain and industrial engineering should be a department that fosters such connections with management. Industrial engineering tools are effective enough to support management with these goals in mind.

Providing a reasonable level of profitability through productivity is - and will remain - one of the fundamental tasks of the management teams of any production company. Manufacturing Cost Policy Deployment (MCPD) and Methods Design Concept (MDC): The Path to Competitiveness contains two new methodologies to improving the productivity and profitability of production systems that continuously increase competitiveness: Manufacturing Cost Policy Deployment (MCPD) and Methods Design Concept (MDC). Both MCPD and MDC are the result of long-time synthesis and distillation, being implemented successfully, totally or partially, in many companies. The MCPD system, developed by Alin Posteuca, is a manufacturing cost policy aimed at continuous cost improvement through a systemic and systematic approach. The MCPD is a methodology that improves the production flow driven by the need for Manufacturing Cost Improvement (MCI) for both existing and future products through setting targets and means to continuously improve production process productivity for each product family cost. The MDC, developed by Shigeyasu Sakamoto, design the effective manufacturing methods using a tool of engineering steps identifying ideas for increasing productivity called KAIZENSHIRO (improvable value as a target). The MDC results on production methods lead to effectiveness of work measurement for performance (P) and to knowledge and improvement of production control and planning as utilization (U), in order to achieve labor target costs. The combination of MCPD and MDC methodologies can provide a unique approach for the managers who are seeking new ways for increasing productivity and profitability to increase the competitive level of their manufacturing company.