Summary

The current global economic downturn and considerable shifting in industrial and manufacturing activities have disturbed the industrial order. However, human work productivity is still one of the most important components of the industrial economy and a determining factor in global competiveness and influence as well as the potential for technological innovation and advancement. Human Work Productivity: A Global Perspective covers how human productivity affects the industrial economy and competitiveness across the industrial and manufacturing sectors.

Many approaches that have worked historically must now be reexamined and new approaches must be developed. Integrating recent concepts related to human work productivity for modern production systems/organizations, this book examines how ergonomic improvements for the human operator and/or redesign and rearrangement of the workplace can boost individual productivity. It also covers the impact of the aging workforce, reports on an investigation of total productive maintenance, and considers the efficacy of workplace design from a maintenance perspective. Discussions of work hours and their effect on productivity, the impact of technology, and productivity in a health care organization complete the coverage.

In any organization, all components must be considered as an integrated whole for sustained productivity. This book explores these components as independent factors and examines their impact on productivity. It then discusses models integrating these factors, creating a clear understanding of the whole, and details schemes of optimization for putting that understanding into practice.

Choice Review

Editors Kumar, Mital, and Pennathur, academicians and researchers with combined expertise in the fields of mechanical and human factors engineering and physical medicine and rehabilitation, have produced a unique volume examining various aspects of industrial and manufacturing practices as they relate to human workplace productivity and international competitiveness. Researchers from mostly Europe and North America contribute 10 academically oriented articles using considerable survey data. Manufacturing-related articles cover cost-effective ergonomics, total productive maintenance programs, workstation redesign, aging and productivity, the impact of advanced manufacturing technologies, and the link between increased productivity and energy savings. In one study of 60 companies in Mexico, advanced hard manufacturing technologies (e.g., computer-aided design, computer-integrated manufacturing, lasers), flexible manufacturing systems, and soft manufacturing technologies (e.g., just-in-time production, enterprise resource planning, and total quality management) improved market shares. Examples of ergonomic methods include illustrations of backboard nailing and better workstation design. Other articles with a more economic focus discuss the impact of changes in US work hours on manufacturing productivity; examine productivity in health care organizations; and compare manufacturing productivity of the US with that of other countries. These diverse articles also consider other factors that may affect work productivity, including education and population trends. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. G. E. Kaupins Boise State University