Prologue........................................................................................XIII
1. Introduction to Industrial Productivity ........................................1
2. The Theory of Waste Measurement ..........................................29
3. Diagnosis of Productivity ...........................................................67
4. Continuous Improvement Evolution and Systems Approach ..115
5. The Study of Methods .............................................................157
6. Methods Analysis .....................................................................217
7. Design of the Improved Method .............................................261
8. Improvement in Setup Times of Machines - SMED ..................309
9. Balancing Improvements in Tasks with Several Participants ...341
10. Process Improvement Criteria ...............................................373
11. The Most Important Improvement: Ergonomics ...............415
12. Innovation and Implementation .........................................443
13. Study and Analysis of Administrative Processes .................457
14. Foundations of Work Measurement ..................................479
15. Prerequisites for Determining the Standard Time .............499
16. Time Study with Timekeeping .............................................521
17. Work Sampling and Structured Estimating .........................583
18. Predetermined Time Standards ..........................................601
19. Development of Standard Data and Time Formulas............629
20. Operations: Production Management ................................659
21. Productivity Control and Incentive Systems .......................707
Our society faces a challenge that maybe never would have imagined to face, the competitiveness of companies and nations is a far more critical factor than anyone would have imagined five years ago. The lack of credit and the permanent contraction of consumption has led us to the necessity of being productive in order to compete for the increasingly constrained demand. The good news is that there is a huge margin for improvement, since, after many years observing the industrial sector, it can be said that many of the current techniques are still without use in most factories. The sole use and set in motion of those techniques will be a competitive advantage. This work is destined to the exhibition of the necessary tools for reducing time and manufacturing deadlines and their development. The book is structured into four large parts: Diagnosis of productivity and Continuous improvement: The theory of waste measurement. Study and improvement of methods and processes. Time Measurement. Time applications: Operations planning and productivity control. The order that this book follows is the road towards waste reduction and productivity improvement, step-by-step and what distinguishes it is: The follow-up guide and its structuring. The high practical component due to the amount of examples that are provided. And its easy comprehension and pedagogical level. This book constitutes a complete catalogue of Solutions and unproductiveness improvements. It is destined for both engineering students and industrial companies.
