The management of production is faced with ever greater challenges as global competion mounts. The problems revolve around the paradox of flexibility and productivity in the organization of production: how to compete on price while retaining the capability to respond quickly to market changes; how to develop new products faster without jeopardizing product integrity; how to increase quality while reducing costs. The recent research on lean production has explored
some of these questions in the context of the motor industry. This book takes a broader audit of these issues across the full range of the metalworking sector in the United Kingdom. Focusing on the
engineering/manufacturing interface, the research presented here explores how 15 leading British firms are facing up to the challenges of the 90s.