Abstract:
Labor productivity is the fundamental issue facing manufacturing in any nation. Free trade policies and their effects have at heart the differences in labor productivity. Currency differences affect how labor productivity translates into profits. The issue, however, is not cheap labor but efficient labor. It’s far more than poor peasants competing against over paid American labor, it is basic political systems competing against one another. Politics must therefore be considered in any solution. Technology is part of the solution, but it cannot solve the problem alone. The cost of labor is also part of the solution, but the answer may well be a robot. This book explores the overall problem for the operations manager in a time of globalization. It suggests an integrated approach for today’s manager that goes beyond the factory floor.