Pathways to Agility: Mass Customization in Action »

JOHN D. OLESON is the Director of Manufacturing Technology at the Dow Corning Corporation. He has served as a key participant and leader in the Agility Forum, whose focus is to adapt agile principles to the process industry. He is currently a member of the Forum's leadership council. His latest project has been leading an effort to generate a vision for the U.S. chemical industry in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy.

About the NAM

The National Association of Manufacturers is the nation's largest broad-based industrial trade association. Its more than 14,000 member companies and subsidiaries, including more than 10,000 small manufacturers, are located in every state and produce roughly 85 percent of U.S. manufactured goods. Through its member companies and affiliated associations, the NAM represents every industrial sector, 185,000 businesses, and more than 18 million employees.

The NAM is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has regional offices across the country. For more information on the NAM, call David W. Walker, Assistant Vice President, Marketing and Member Services, at (202) 637-3186.

What does Wayne Gretzky, one of hockey’s premier players, have in common with the most successful manufacturing companies? The ability to anticipate the next move correctly and consistently. While Gretzky can sense where the puck is headed, top-notch manufacturers foresee where the market is headed—and prepare to change with it in order to meet the needs of their customers. In today’s business reality, agility—the ability to predict trends and establish appropriate procedures for handling them—is becoming increasingly important if manufacturers are to stand out from the crowd—and stay on top of the competition. In Pathways to Agility, John Oleson, Director of Manufacturing Technology at Dow Corning Corporation and a leading member of the Agility Forum, offers an authoritative overview of this revolutionary new approach to manufacturing. One of the first books to deliver strategies for applying agile concepts, this groundbreaking resource provides concise explanations of the fundamentals of agility and its role in mass customization, as well as practical, step-by-step guidelines for its effective implementation and smooth integration. Representing a significant alternative to the age-old "one-size-fits-all" model, agile manufacturing is being used by such leading firms as Levi Strauss, General Motors, Kodak, and Chrysler. A proven method for responding quickly and effectively to the individual—and ever-changing—needs of customers, it is an invaluable means of not only winning the war for market share, but becoming more streamlined and dynamic—and ultimately, more profitable. Providing a clear pathway to agility, this indispensable resource covers strategic as well as technical issues, and is packed with a wealth of real-world case studies, first-person perspectives from leading manufacturing professionals, and vital benchmarks from the field. Here’s where you’ll find comprehensive details on:

• Developing agility in the supply chain
• Integrating computers into the manufacturing process
• Improving the capability of the supply chain
• Including automation and discipline as components of agility
• Involving employees in the agile strategy

An invaluable primer for companies of all sizes, Pathways to Agility is must reading for manufacturing managers and engineers who are looking to incorporate the tenets of agility into their companies’ objectives and operations.

Booknews

Describes how agility, as used as a term to describe a desirable corporate attribute, has became a part of the next phase of industrial development and how it can be used in manufacturing to move companies towards mass customization. Within the context of the agility concept, Oleson (director of manufacturing technology at Dow Corning) discusses supply chains, integrated information systems, automation, production, marketing, and intercorporate relationships. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

	Preface
	Acknowledgments
	Introduction
1	Moving to the Industrial Society	3
2	Strategy and Change in an Industrial World	19
3	Supply Chains	47
4	The Extended Supply Chain	65
5	Integrated Information Systems	83
6	Changing Capability	99
7	Automation	118
8	New Capability - Products, Markets, and Processes	135
9	Processes	152
10	Products	168
11	Markets	182
12	Agile Relationships	199
13	Pathways to Agility	224
14	Conclusion	247
	References and Suggested Reading	254
	Index	257