In fulfilling the requirements to complete a book review for the class Manufacturing Resource Planning, I have chose to review the book "Reinventing the Factory". The book covers and implements theories of productivity improvements and breakthroughs. The authors, Harmon and Peterson, take the book beyond theory and use hundreds of examples of real-life productivity improvements. A list of these impressive examples can be found in the appendix as proof. The authors show how manufacturers can dramatically increase productivity through refinery of the sub plants, or plants within the plant, and the overall plant wide plan. The book is sectioned into three main portions. The authors lumped sections of the book together for easier reviewing and reference. The first three chapters cover topics of importance for executive managers. The next portion of the book, chapters 4 through 7, focuses towards individuals who are responsible for the different departments of the manufacturing organization. The last three chapters are aimed towards all individuals in the organization. They affect several areas

The book "Reinventing the Factory" does not advocate a single gimmick or technique for improving manufacturing productivity. It does, however, offer the tools needed to make a difference between being one of the pack or becoming the superior manufacturer. The manufacturing industry is ever changing with new and improved techniques for better productivity and performance. Through implementing a new plant wide plan, creating sub plants, and increasing efficiency at all work stations, productivity will increase as well as profit. A better factory can't be built by just reading this book. However, if one pays special particular attention to the small aspects of their company, small changes and careful continuous planning can result in the superior factory not only in the United States, but internationally. "Let us begin." (Harmon, p.272)

of the operation and are more general in nature than the more specific preceding chapters of the book.

Chapters 2 and 3 tie in together and serve as a good follow up to chapter 1. Chapter 2 is based on "Factory Organization", the title of the chapter. And chapter 3, titled "Future Vision: The Plant Wide Plan", takes an overall look at the factory. Chapter 2 is a basic outline guide for sub plants within the plant, without too much technicality, which is detailed in later chapters. Sub plants, or plants within the plants as it is described, closes the gaps between the superiorities and the shop floor workers. Each sub plant has its own managers and manufacturing executives. Communications are increased, problems can be dealt with as they arise instead of going through a long chain of commands, and everyone is directly involved in the production process. Otherwise, with the old style of having one huge plant operation, executives and managers are far removed from operations. They may never see or meet assemblers who work at the stations and use their components. Much more paperwork is required and problems take much longer to get rid of. Chapter 3 takes a bigger look at the layout and flow of the factory. This is described with the "plant wide plan". "In its simplest form, this plan is a layout for a single factory, which includes, to the extent practical, not only the ideal layout but also step-by-step strategies for the movement of individual processes from current locations to final target locations" (Harmon, p.36). Every business, regardless of what it is, will at some time change. Some businesses change constantly. So master plans must be dynamic and flexible. New products are added, and existing ones are changed or dropped. Processes follow

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Approximate Word count = 1766
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)