With examples drawn from aerospace, electronics, household appliance, personal products, and automotive industries, Lean Assembly covers the engineering of assembly operations through: Characterizing the demand in terms of volume by product and product family, component consumption, seasonal variability and life cycle. Matching the physical structure of the shop floor to the demand with the goal of approaching takt-driven production as closely as possible. Working out the details of assembly tasks station by station, including station sizing, tooling, fixturing, operator instructions, part presentation, conveyance between stations, and the geometry of assembly lines as a whole. Incorporating mistake-proofing, successive inspection, and test operations for quality assurance.Lean Assembly differs from most other books on lean manufacturing in that it focuses on technical content as a driver for implementation methods. The emphasis is on exactly what should be done. This book should be the "dog-eared" and "penciled-in" resource on every assembly engineer's desk.

This Introduction to Manufacturing focuses students on the issues that matter to practicing industrial engineers and managers. It offers a systems perspective on designing, managing, and improving manufacturing operations. On each topic, it covers the key issues, with pointers on where to dig deeper. Unlike the many textbooks on operations management, supply chain management, and process technology, this book weaves together these threads as they interact in manufacturing. It has five parts: Getting to Know Manufacturing: Fundamental concepts of manufacturing as an economic activity, from manufacturing strategy to forecasting market demand Engineering the Factory: Physical design of factories and processes, the necessary infrastructure and technology for manufacturing Making Information Flow: The "central nervous system" that triggers and responds to events occurring in production Making Materials Flow: The logistics of manufacturing, from materials handling inside the factory via warehousing to supply chain management Enhancing Performance: Managing manufacturing performance and methods to maintain and improve it, both in times of normal operations and emergencies Supported with rich illustrations and teaching aids, Introduction to Manufacturing is essential reading for industrial engineering and management students - of all ages and backgrounds - engaged in the vital task of making the things we all use.