Towards a Lean Factory

Abstract

An ideal production manifests itself in a factory where each and every product is manufactured individually and according to customers’ specifications by way of highly efficient industrial means of production, such as division of labour and mechanization - not only to minimize costs, but also to achieve the other essential goals of production (Sect. 1.2.2). Industrial means enable increased product quality and precision, shorter manufacturing processes and the realization of a highly diverse product range in spite of standardization. For continuous production improvement, the target of an ideal factory must be consistently focussed on.