Manufacturing - General & Miscellaneous, General & Heavy Industry - Manufacturing, Total Quality Management, Business Life - General & Miscellaneous
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Overview
Steadily, efficiently, almost without anyone's noticing, American industry has pulled off an astonishing turn-around in defiance of the dire media predictions of the "death of manufacturing" in the United States. Making It in America takes an up-close and in-depth look at the dramatic comeback that has made American manufacturing once again the industrial powerhouse of the world. It showcases ten paths to success followed by fifty top companies, such as Motorola, Xerox, and Whirlpool, that can help put any business - service or manufacturing - on its own customized path to success. What is really galvanizing the American business community today, according to authors Jerry Jasinowski and Robert Hamrin, is the dynamic tension between two powerful forces - a renewed commitment to fundamental values and a spirit of innovation to respond to the fast-changing needs of the marketplace. Jasinowski and Hamrin analyze the success stories of fifty companies at the forefront of this renaissance, including large yet constantly innovating companies such as Intel, Rubbermaid, and 3M as well as energetic smaller companies such as WillBurt, Cannondale, and Kingston Technology. (Each company's story concludes with a valuable and practical lesson.). The strategies devised by these companies were creative, bold, and highly effective: for example, Johnsonville Foods' employee empowerment initiative resulted in a 300 percent productivity increase (Path Number 1: Empower Employees): Dell Computer's commitment to customized service and "pleased" customers resulted in 70 percent of its buyers becoming repeat customers (Path Number 4: Exceed Customer Expectations); and Wadia Digital's focus on exports led to 70 to 80 percent of its revenues coming from exports in each of its first five years (Path Number 6: Go Global).Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
Whipsawed by inflation and unable to sell products consumers didn't want, U.S. manufacturing was largely written off during the 1970s. By the '90s, it had enjoyed an economic renaissance, becoming ``the fundamental reason why America's economic sun is shining.'' Jasinowski (president, National Association of Manufacturers) and Hamrin (America's New Economy: The Basic Guide) here explain manufacturing's successful metamorphosis. Drawing on 50 cases, from the high-tech (Intel) to the mundane (Lincoln Electric), the authors maintain that manufacturing companies have been succeeding because of their commitment to worker empowerment, customer satisfaction, finding new markets, environmentalism and the pursuit of new organizational structures. Their analysis augments our understanding of manufacturing's pivotal role in the U.S. economy. (Mar.)Library Journal
Responding to the pessimistic comments made in the mid-1980s about the competitiveness and survival of American manufacturing, the authors (the president of the National Association of Manufacturers and an economic consultant, respectively) relate remarkable stories about 50 manufacturing companies in which management applied new ideas for involving people: empowering employees, redirecting their energies toward intensifying total quality, and generating excitement and harmony in the workplace. By using new ideas, these companies achieved the commitment and dedication required to accelerate the pace of change. Drawing from interviews with workers, managers, and CEOs, the book takes as its premise that success of the manufacturing company (or any other organization) depends on the enterprise's ability to liberate the creativity and power of its workers, satisfy customers beyond their expectations, uncover new markets, and concentrate on continuous improvement of all organizational functions. Not linked to supporting the theories of any particular discipline, this book provides practical approaches and sensible practices that have proved workable in the situations presented. It should serve as an inspirational source of practical ideas for businesses. Recommended for public libraries.-Ali D. Abdulla, East Carolina Univ., Greenville, N.C.David Rouse
Presented here are 50 "success stories" designed to demonstrate that U.S. manufacturing is not dead but, in fact, has helped fuel an economic resurgence. Like proud cheerleaders, the authors show off the productivity increases, remarkable turnarounds, new products, managerial innovations, and improved sales figures exemplified by their "shining examples." Jasinowski has been president of the National Association of Manufacturers for the last five years, and independent economic consultant Hamrin has written several books, most recently "America's New Economy" (1988). The companies they have selected are grouped into three categories, which they suggest represent the focal points that pinpoint the way to success: employee creativity and empowerment, customer service, and continuous improvement. For each company they identify a challenge faced, the response made, and the results achieved.Book Details
Published
July 3, 1995
Publisher
Simon & Schuster Ltd
Pages
352
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780671507565