TQM, Reengineering, Theory of Constraints, JIT, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing . . . These are just some of the methods that, over the past five decades, have promised to transform any manufacturing firm into a lean, mean, moneymaking machine. While each incorporates certain fundamental truths, strengths, and benefits, they are not panaceas. Nor do they necessarily provide much-needed insight into the science that underlies factory performance. James Ignizio, Ph.D., an internationally recognized performance optimization expert, believes that only a balanced approach will provide the significant and sustainable improvement required of firms who will survive and prosper in the twenty-first century. In this breakthrough guide, Dr. Ignizio picks up where such concepts as Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing leave off to provide you with a holistic, three-dimensional approach to mastering the art and science of manufacturing. Focusing on the three primary enemies of factory performance—complexity, variability, and lackluster leadership—Optimizing Factory Performance cuts to the heart of the problem of less-than-world-class performance and demonstrates how those enemies manifest themselves in companies across manufacturing sectors. Ignizio also explores the insidious effect company politics and flagging commitment to manufacturing performance have on competitiveness. Emphasizing the all-important, often overlooked third dimension of manufacturing—factory protocols—Ignizio describes the types of strategicand tactical changes to physical plant and operating procedures any company can make to achieve performance improvements. In addition, he arms you with powerful, original metrics for measuring and comparing factory performance, as well as a set of interactive simulation models, available online at www.mhprofessional.com/ignizio. Running throughout the book is an often amusing, always instructive account of the fictional high-tech firm, Muddle, Inc., which helps support the concepts discussed in the real world of manufacturing, while reinforcing key lessons learned. Read Optimizing Factory Performance and find out how to transform your organization into the kind of fast, agile manufacturer that delivers the right products to the right customers at the right time— every time.