The Process: From Symptoms to Problems

Abstract

The following scene takes place during a factory visit to an automobile equipment manufacturer in the American Middle West. This unit is mainly involved in the manufacture of various models of radiators on two production lines, one of which, the factory’s pride and joy, has just been completely restructured. Our guide is a young engineer, brilliant, enthusiastic, volubly and accurately explaining the whole production system, the reasons for the almost clinical cleanliness of the workshops, the way in which staff meetings are held at the end of each shift to report progress, the absence of intermediate stock – which he considers to be his best success, even earning him a mention in the company’s newsletter. In brief, an idyllic picture, which confirms the first overall view glimpsed by visitors.