U.S. Productivity Surges Up: Authors Explain Why

Productivity growth in the U.S. continues to grow at a remarkable pace, even in the face of an overall sluggish economy. What's going on? One common ingredient is the almost universal introduction of flow manufacturing technques in American manufacturing companies during the past 5 years.

Even as the U.S. economy continues to lumber either towards recovery or a double-dip" recession, productivity in both the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors continues to grow. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing productivity rose 4.9% in the second quarter of 2002. and an almost unheard of 9.7% in the first quarter. So whats going on here? While the contributing factors are many, including the use of advanced technology and the internet, one common ingredient stands out. Since the mid-1990s, virtually all of the Fortune 1000 manufacturing companies have been rapidly implementing "flow manufacturing" methods in their factories and offices. The productivity growth and the resurgence of American manufacturing strength during this period can be attributed in large part to flow manufacturing, under a variety of labels and names.

In spite of its widespread and growing acceptance in the U.S. and around the world, a clear explanation of the techniques of flow manufacturing has been lacking. In their new book Fundamentals of Flow Manufacturing, flow veterans Gerard Leone and Richard D. Rahn fill this gap with a step-by-step exposition of flow manufacturing strategies and methods. Presenting a logical implementation process with entertaining and easy-to-understand examples, case histories and war stories, Leone and Rahn make it possible for both manufacturing and non-manufacturing professionals to understand how this strategy can be applied, and how it applies to them. The benefits include fast response time to customers, error-free processes, high quality and productivity, and the ability to compete in todays global economy.

Leone and Rahn have been teaching and implementing flow manufacturing for over 10 years, and have introduced the concepts to thousands of manufacturing professionals. They have implemented flow manufacturing methods in some of the worlds largest companies, including GE, GM, Siemens, Boeing, Kodak, Northrup Grumman, Applied Materials and Emerson Electric. Mr. Rahn is also the author of Advanced Flow Manufacturing, published in 2001.