Taking a new product from the design stage to large-scale production in a profitable, efficient manner can challenge the processes of even the most advanced companies. Lapses in these processes drive up the cost of new products, and hinder their launch into the marketplace. Effective Transition from Design to Production provides an expeditio

This book provides a practical and user-friendly approach to successfully transform an organization into a lean organization throughout the business value chain. The author describes comprehensively how lean management principles enable organizations to concentrate on value-adding activities and processes to achieve a long-term and sustainable competitive advantage. The book shows how lean management principles are ultimately applied in industries and explores the concepts of Kaizen and Lean Management thoroughly. Kaizen and Lean Management are innovative and modern concepts that help organizations gain a competitive advantage. Kaizen is the permanent improvement in small steps, while Lean Management is a set of principles focusing on customer satisfaction. The foundation of these two concepts is grounded in the principle of eliminating waste and concentrating on value added processes for which the customers are willing to pay for. Through this, organizations will become more efficient throughout the value chain including internal functions, partners and suppliers, and will achieve a long-term competitive advantage.

This book provides an overview of approaches to internationalization as experienced by smaller manufacturing enterprises over a relatively long period of time — the 35-year period from 1974 to 2009. The original research on which this study is based dates back to the mid-1970s, when academic interest in export studies, market entry modes, and internationalization approaches, among others, have their origins. With practical examples of companies from both inside and outside the USA, readers will be able to understand how smaller manufacturing enterprises approach the world of international commerce, how they prepare themselves for it, and what really draws them into the world of international commerce./a

Presents a comparative analysis of seven case studies that challenge current beliefs about good practice in the provision of business development services to small and micro enterprises. Highlights issues concerning the assessment of impact, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness of such services.

Staying competitive in today's manufacturing climate keeps getting tougher, and often middle to upper managers are told to do more with less. Manufacturers must be able to develop and produce customized products rapidly to meet ever-changing customer needs. In The Transition to Agile Manaufacturing, experts from Battele Pacific Northwest National Laboratories describe how manufacturing companies can quickly mobilize their resources to gain a competitive edge. Discover how agile manufacturing can rapidly develop new products and produce fast and flexible responses to customer needs. Practical tips on organizational alignment and agility are offered in down-to-earth terms. Beneficial for all organizations, this low-cost approach to agile manufacturing is especially helpful for small to mid-sized manufacturers with limited resources. The authors of The Transition to Agile Manufacturing have built for small manufacturers a road map into the world of agile manufacturing, a world that will define manufacturing and the competitive environment of the future. - Kevin Carr Director, Manufacturing Extension Partnership National Institute of Standards and Technology.