Lean Production: Mehr als ein Modewort für Kosteneinsparungen?!

Based on a 1988 MIT-study the production and labor process developed in Japan and called lean production overcomes by far the traditional concept of mass production.Central principles of lean production are the integration of resources, the self- determination in responsible, decentralized working-teams and the indirect control through management. Special emphasis is put on industrial relations with suppliers (comakership), employees and customers. The relation of lean production to concepts like computer integrated manufacturing, just-in-time or simultaneous engineering is analyzed as well as its application from automobile industry to other industries.The author presents detailed results of différencies in productivity in Japan, North-America and Europe and the reasons for that.