Philosophy

The BookPhilosophy

What is Factory Physics and why should one study it?
Briefly, Factory Physics is knowledge. It provides a systematic description of the underlying behavior of manufacturing systems. With this knowledge, managers are able to use any manufacturing productivity strategy better. Understanding it enables managers and engineers to:

1 identify areas of leverage for improving existing systems
2 design effective new manufacturing control systems that are consistent with, instead of contrary to, their natural tendencies,
3 design more effective supply chains,
4 achieve "lean" manufacturing without sacrificing manufacturing efficiency,
5 design more effective supply chains, and
6 make the tradeoffs needed to coordinate policies from disparate areas into an environment of continual improvement,

Intended Audience

The book, Factory Physics, is intended for several different audiences:

1 Manufacturing Practitioners who want to learn how to better design and control their operations.
2 Manufacturing Managers who want to learn how to manage improvements in operations.
3 Manufacturing management students in a core manufacturing operations course.
4 MBA students in a second operations management course following a general survey course.
5 BS and MS industrial engineering students in a production control course.

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