DOCSLIB.ORG

From Mass Production to Mass Customization

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
From Mass Production to Mass Customization Volume 1, Issue 2, Winter 2001 FROM MASS PRODUCTION TO MASS CUSTOMIZATION Michael T. Fralix Textile/Clothing Technology Corporation [TC]2 Cary, NC ABSTRACT With the advent of the industrial revolution and interchangeable parts, manufacturing moved from the craft era to the mass production era. Today there is a new era emerging and it is called Mass Customization. Mass Customization takes the best of the craft era, when customers had products built to their specifications but only the elite could afford them, with the best of the mass production era, when everybody could get the same product because it was affordable. This presentation will highlight the development of Mass Customization and how the sewn products industry is positioned to capitalize on it. As progressive companies trade their traditional production concepts and practices for powerful mass customization techniques, this presentation will provide insight into the integration of information technology, mechanization, and team- based flexible manufacturing. Emerging technologies for mass customization such as three- dimensional non-contact body measurement and digital printing will also be discussed. KEYWORDS: Mass Customization, Body Scanning, Digital Printing Introduction: Another very interesting signal that merits Sometimes we get signals that it is time to some attention is that of the growth in change long before we respond to those worldwide population. If world population signals. In fact, we have been getting were separated into developed countries signals in the United States that it is time to versus developing or undeveloped countries, do something different, and we have been it would show that there is a significantly betting those signals for a long time. For greater growth rate in developing countries. example, a study of U.S. apparel In fact, the projections for the next ten years employment over the last twenty years indicate that world population is expected to would indicate that there has been a steady grow from 6.3 billion to 7.3 billion people. decline from a peak of about 1.4 million Ninety percent of this growth is expected in workers to less than 800,000. (Figure 1) developing countries (Figure 3). Likewise the textile and apparel trade deficit over the past ten years has grown tremendously. In fact, it has more than doubled in the past ten years (Figure 2). 1 JTATM Volume 1, Issue 2, Winter 2001 U.S. Apparel Employment place?” It is in developing countries! (Thousands) “Where do you think the competition for Recession Recession 1600 Recession jobs will be?” It will be in developing Recession 1400 countries! 1200 1000 800 A closer study of the changes taking place 600 and the trends that exist in consumer 400 behavior reinforce the need for 200 manufacturing companies to rethink their 0 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 business strategies. These strategies should include the way supply chains are managed Source: AAMA and products are manufactured. Industry today is confronted by a new set of Figure 1. requirements. The days of long runs of like U.S. Apparel Employment Statistics products are gone – they are rapidly being replaced by the next generation of manufacturing principles. It is being called the era of Mass Customization. U. S. Textile and Apparel Trade Million Dollars Imports 2. SIGNALS FOR CHANGE 50,000 There are some key indicators in the United 51,806 States that it is past time for change. The 40,000 first is that service expectations are higher 30,000 Deficit than they have ever been. Consumers used 24,705 20,000 15,101 to tolerate substandard service, but today, 10,000 they do not have time for it. People are no 3,470 Exports longer willing to stand in lines and be 0 ignored by bank tellers, hotel receptionists 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 92 94 95 96 or other service providers. They want Source: AAMA immediate and personalized service. Figure 2. Second, consumers want more variety. If U.S. Textile and Apparel Trade Deficit you do not believe it, investigate some of the consumer products and the options that are available today. To buy shampoo, for World Population In Billions example, a consumer must make multiple 8 7.26 7 decisions about his or her individual 6. 29 6 5.23 preferences before selecting the appropriate 4.48 5.94 5 5. 02 brand. Do they have oily hair, dry hair or 3.72 4 4.03 3.06 normal hair? Is it permed, dyed or tinted? 3 3.34 2.11 2.67 2 Is it thick, thin, or gone? Do they like 1 strawberry, apple, or banana fragrance? 0. 95 1.14 1.2 1.27 1.32 1.05 0 1960 1970 1980 1989 2000 2010 Developed Countries Developing Countries The same is true with other consumer goods. For those that have small children and wish Figure 3. to purchase disposable diapers, consumers World Population in Billions must not only know the sex of the child, but it’s age to the nearest week, and the This has significant implications for particular time of day that the diapers will be industries such as the apparel industry. So I ask, “Where is all of the growth taking 2 JTATM Volume 1, Issue 2, Winter 2001 worn, in order to make an accurate decision parts from one product could not necessarily regarding the type of diaper to purchase. be interchanged with the similar parts on To make this relative to the apparel industry, another product. Since products tended to I would suggest that you look around the be relatively expensive, access was limited room at any meeting and locate another primarily to the upper class or aristocracy. individual who is wearing the same “outfit” With the advent of the industrial revolution that you are wearing. The fact is that we and the concept of interchangeable parts, really do not want this to happen unless we like products began to be produced in large are wearing apparel that represents a team. quantities and were made available to the The fact is that we all want more variety! middle class. Because of the large production quantities of like products, the The third reason it is past time for change is costs were low enough that they became that consumers no longer want to order affordable for most people. goods and services and have to wait for their delivery. Ten years ago if a catalog order Mass Customization has emerged as a was placed, the expected delivery was four practice that combines the best of the craft to six weeks. Today, after two or three days, era with the best of the mass production era. consumers begin to wonder where and why Not to be confused with custom-made, mass their merchandise is being delayed. customized products may still be manufactured in relatively large quantities; The textile and apparel industries are not the however, each item might be slightly only industries impacted by these signals. different based on the needs and desires of Other industries are also experiencing the the individual end customer. Joe Pine refers kinds of changes that are causing a to the goal of Mass Customization to be to breakdown in mass production concepts. It provide enough variety so that the wants of is happening in the automotive industry. It the consumer are satisfied; whereas the goal is happening in telecommunications. It is of Mass Production was to produce at happening in the banking industry. It is sufficiently low cost so that everyone could happening in the insurance industry. have one. Everywhere one looks, there is a shift towards more personalized products and The ability for manufacturers to offer mass services. customization is limited by their ability to get consumer information to the 3. THE ERA OF MASS “workplace” doing the customization. Mass CUSTOMIZATION Customization is also limited by the extent So what does this mean for U.S. businesses? to which production workers have been Better yet, what does this mean for business cross-trained and empowered to accept in general? It means that it is time to change responsibility for the manufacturing and the way in which manufacturing “customization” process, so that they can organizations and service organizations accurately respond to those needs. In operate. Just as the craft era was replaced addition, manufacturers are constrained by by the era of mass production, mass the lack of available technology that can be production is being replaced by the era of reconfigured quickly, easily, and cost Mass Customization. effectively to meet consumer needs. Prior to the industrial revolution During the era of Mass Customization, manufacturing was considered a craft. product development cycles will be Products were typically custom made to extremely short and product life cycles will meet the needs of a particular individual. also be extremely short relative to the era of No two products were exactly alike and mass production. Large homogeneous markets will be replaced by heterogeneous 3 JTATM Volume 1, Issue 2, Winter 2001 niches with fragmented demand. Large 4. BODY SCANNING numbers of similar products will continue to For some apparel manufacturers, the term be manufactured; however, each consumer mass customization means manufacturing will be able to alter products based on their clothes that have been pre-altered to fit an individual needs and the capabilities of the individual’s body. A potential enabling producer. technology for this method of creating individualized products is body scanning. On the other hand, Mass Customization, Through body scanning, a three-dimensional does not mean that everything about a image of person’s body is captured product is customizable.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Industrial Revolution in America
    DO NOT EDIT--Changes must be made through “File info” CorrectionKey=TX-A SECTION 1 The Industrial TEKS 5B, 5D, 7A, 11A, 12C, 12D, 13A, Revolution in 13B, 14A, 14B, 27A, 27D, 28B What You Will Learn… America Main Ideas 1. The invention of new machines in Great Britain If YOU were there... led to the beginning of the You live in a small Pennsylvania town in the 1780s. Your father is a Industrial Revolution. 2. The development of new blacksmith, but you earn money for the family, too. You raise sheep machines and processes and spin their wool into yarn. Your sisters knit the yarn into warm brought the Industrial Revolu- tion to the United States. wool gloves and mittens. You sell your products to merchants in the 3. Despite a slow start in manu- city. But now you hear that someone has invented machines that facturing, the United States made rapid improvements can spin thread and make cloth. during the War of 1812. Would you still be able to earn the same amount The Big Idea of money for your family? Why? The Industrial Revolution trans- formed the way goods were produced in the United States. BUILDING BACKOU GR ND In the early 1700s making goods depend- ed on the hard work of humans and animals. It had been that way for Key Terms and People hundreds of years. Then new technology brought a change so radical Industrial Revolution, p. 385 that it is called a revolution. It began in Great Britain and soon spread to textiles, p.
    [Show full text]
  • Machine Tools and Mass Production in the Armaments Boom: Germany and the United States, 1929–441 by CRISTIANO ANDREA RISTUCCIA and ADAM TOOZE*
    bs_bs_banner Economic History Review, 66, 4 (2013), pp. 953–974 Machine tools and mass production in the armaments boom: Germany and the United States, 1929–441 By CRISTIANO ANDREA RISTUCCIA and ADAM TOOZE* This article anatomizes the ‘productivity race’ between Nazi Germany and the US over the period from the Great Depression to the Second World War in the metal- working industry.We present novel data that allow us to account for both the quantity of installed machine tools and their technological type. Hitherto, comparison of productive technologies has been limited to case studies and well-worn narratives about US mass production and European-style flexible specialization. Our data show that the two countries in fact employed similar types of machines combined in different ratios. Furthermore, neither country was locked in a rigid technological paradigm. By 1945 Germany had converged on the US both in terms of capital- intensity and the specific technologies employed. Capital investment made a greater contribution to output growth in Germany, whereas US growth was capital-saving. Total factor productivity growth made a substantial contribution to the armaments boom in both countries. But it was US industry, spared the war’s most disruptive effects, that was in a position to take fullest advantage of the opportunities for wartime productivity growth. This adds a new element to familiar explanations for Germany’s rapid catch-up after 1945. earmament in the 1930s followed by the industrial effort for the Second RWorld War unleashed an unprecedented boom in worldwide metalworking production. Over the entire period from the early 1930s to the end of the Second World War, the combatants between them produced in excess of 600,000 military aircraft and many times that number of highly sophisticated aero- engines.
    [Show full text]
  • The Industrial Revolution!!! ​Ɯ Ɯ​ 1750
    The Industrial Revolution!!! Ɯ Ɯ​ 1750 - Today ​ The Industrial Revolution was a period during which predominantly agricultural, rural societies in Europe and America became industrial and more people lived in cities. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain in the late 1700s, manufacturing** was often ​ ​ done in people’s homes, using hand tools or basic machines. Industrialization marked a shift to powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production. The iron and textile industries, along with the development of the steam engine, played central roles in the Industrial Revolution, which also saw improved systems of transportation, communication and banking. While industrialization brought about an increased volume and variety of manufactured goods and an improved standard of living** for some, it also resulted in often ​ ​ grim employment and living conditions for the poor and working classes. Manufacturing = Making and producing things! Standard of living = How most people live their lives BRITAIN: BIRTHPLACE OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION Before the advent of the Industrial Revolution, most people resided in small, rural communities where their daily existences revolved around farming. Life for the average person was difficult, as incomes were meager, and malnourishment and disease were common. People produced the bulk of their own food, clothing, furniture and tools. Most manufacturing was done in homes or small, rural shops, using hand tools or simple machines. A number of factors contributed to Britain’s role as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. For one, it had great deposits of coal and iron ore, which proved essential for industrialization. Additionally, Britain was a politically stable society, as well as the world’s leading colonial power, which meant its colonies could serve as a source for raw materials, as well as a marketplace for manufactured goods.
    [Show full text]
  • What Was the Assembly Line ?
    59 WHAT WAS THE ASSEMBLY LINE ? DAVID E. NYE INTRODUCTION Today, ”assembly line” immediately suggests Asian or Latin-American factories where poorly-paid workers make consumer goods for export to the West. For example, many US corporations shifted jobs to northern Mexico beginning in 1965 as part of the Border Industrialization Program. This process accelerated dramatically after January 1, 1994, when the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect. It abolished tariffs and made re-importation of assembly line goods easy. By 2000, 1.2 million US jobs had been relocated to Mexico. Most of the Mexicans hired were semi-skilled women, preferred both for their manual dexterity and their willingness to accept low wages.1 Corporations built factories where environmental legislation was lax and unions were weak or non-existent. In such places, “the danger is that repression rather than innovation becomes a competitive advantage.”2 Yet if the assembly line of today is often part of a global production system for offshore, semi-skilled work, at its inception in 1913 the Americans saw the assembly line as the guarantor of high wages and domestic prosperity. This essay reviews the origins of the assembly line, what exactly it was as a technology, and how it was initially understood. In hindsight, it was less a beginning than a mid-point in long- term developments that are still underway. Historians frequently refer to the assembly line as an historical stage, in a sequence from Taylorism to Fordism to “post-Fordism,” with additional stages sometimes included such as “lexible production,” “lean production” and most recently “post- lean production.”3 As convenient as these historical stages once seemed, their proliferation suggests that the whole notion of a sequence was mistaken to begin with.
    [Show full text]
  • Design for Manufacture
    Design for Manufacture Mass Production, Assembly & Manufacturing Guidelines Author: Andrew Taylor BSc MA FRSA – Design‐Bites Design for Manufacture Mass Production Prior to about 1840, durables were essentially hand crafted. After 1840, mechanized production techniques gradually spread throughout the manufacturing community. First to take up the production of standardized parts were the armories (see Design for Maintainability), followed by sewing machine makers, and then textile, farm machinery, lock, clock, locomotive and bicycle makers. By the dawn of the 20th century, all the elements were in place to allow Henry Ford to establish his first factory and start production of the model A motor car. Many of his insights and innovations still form the backbone of best practice in volume manufacturing. For example, the production ‘line,’ the delivery of parts to assembly stations, unskilled assembly, and minimization of variants were Ford innovations, achieving huge improvements in throughput while reducing the manual labor required for assembly. Manufacturing ideals To fully exploit the techniques of mass production requires the design of products sympathetic to the production process. The production engineer’s ideal product is one that… • Employs as few different materials as possible. • Requires minimum processing of the materials. • Uses existing machines, tools, jigs and processes, either in house or subcontracted. • Complies fully with existing design guidelines. • Contains the least number of component parts, and uses as many off-the-shelf and standardized parts as possible. • Is proof against errors in assembly. • Uses processing and assembly skills already established in the workforce. • Is fully specified, and testable against specifications. Most production engineers and managers appreciate that capturing new markets requires innovation, and innovation sometimes brings unfamiliar materials and processes.
    [Show full text]
  • Challenges and Opportunities of Digital Production Technologies for Developing Countries Department of Policy, Research and Statistics Working Paper 7/2019
    Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development Working Paper Series WP 7 | 2019 A REVOLUTION IN THE MAKING? CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF DIGITAL PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEPARTMENT OF POLICY, RESEARCH AND STATISTICS WORKING PAPER 7/2019 A revolution in the making? Challenges and opportunities of digital production technologies for developing countries Antonio Andreoni UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose Guendalina Anzolin University of Urbino UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION Vienna, 2019 This is a Background Paper for the UNIDO Industrial Development Report 2020: Industrializing in the Digital Age The designations employed, descriptions and classifications of countries, and the presentation of the material in this report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or its economic system or degree of development. The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Secretariat of the UNIDO. The responsibility for opinions expressed rests solely with the authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by UNIDO. Although great care has been taken to maintain the accuracy of information herein, neither UNIDO nor its member States assume any responsibility for consequences which may arise from the use of the material. Terms such as “developed”, “industrialized” and “developing” are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgment. Any indication of, or reference to, a country, institution or other legal entity does not constitute an endorsement.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Government in China's Long
    ECONOMIC RESEARCH FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF ST. LOUIS WORKING PAPER SERIES The Visible Hand: The Role of Government in China’s Long-Awaited Industrial Revolution Authors George E. Fortier, and Yi Wen Working Paper Number 2016-016A Creation Date August 2016 Citable Link https://doi.org/10.20955/wp.2016.016 Fortier, G.E., Wen, Y., 2016; The Visible Hand: The Role of Government in China’s Suggested Citation Long-Awaited Industrial Revolution, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Working Paper 2016-016. URL https://doi.org/10.20955/wp.2016.016 Published In Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review Publisher Link https://doi.org/10.1080/14765284.2019.1582224 Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Research Division, P.O. Box 442, St. Louis, MO 63166 The views expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Reserve System, the Board of Governors, or the regional Federal Reserve Banks. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Working Papers are preliminary materials circulated to stimulate discussion and critical comment. The Visible Hand: The Role of Government in China’s Long-Awaited Industrial Revolution Yi Wen and George E. Fortier China is undergoing its long-awaited industrial revolution. There is no shortage of commentary and opinion on this dramatic period, but few have attempted to provide a coherent, in-depth, political- economic framework that explains the fundamental mechanisms behind China’s rapid industrializa- tion. This article reviews the New Stage Theory of economic development put forth by Wen (2016a). It illuminates the critical sequence of developmental stages since the reforms enacted by Deng Xiaoping in 1978: namely, small-scale commercialized agricultural production, proto-industrialization in the countryside, a formal industrial revolution based on mass production of labor-intensive light consumer goods, a sustainable “industrial trinity” boom in energy/motive power/infrastructure, and a second industrial revolution involving the mass production of heavy industrial goods.
    [Show full text]
  • Lecture No. 6: History of Product and Production System: with Focus on Automobile (2)
    Business Administration Lecture No. 6: History of Product and Production System: With Focus on Automobile (2) 1.History of American System of Manufacturers 2.Ford System 3.Taylor System 4.Evaluation on Contemporary American Manufacturing Industry 5.Lean Production System Takahiro Fujimoto Department of Economics, University of Tokyo The figures, photos and moving images with ‡marks attached belong to their copyright holders. Reusing or reproducing them is prohibited unless permission is obtained directly from such copyright holders. 1.History of American System of Manufacturers “American System of Manufacturers” in 19th century (1)interchangeable parts (2)special-purpose machines British in mid 19th century paid an attention. But concept and reality should be viewed separately. Said, but not done. (ハウンシェル説) History of American System of Manufacturers (Abernathy, Clark and Kantrow, Industrial Renaissance, 1983) First Period: Around 1800, originated by the weaponry industry Production of Musket guns by Eli Whitney Said to be the pioneer of the interchangeable parts, but was it really a good system? (Was a production of Springfield guns more important?) Second Period: First half of 19th century Through the machine tool industry as an intermediary, the system was transmitted from the weaponry industry to typewriters, etc. A key player was Singer’s sewing machines. In addition to an interchangeability, parts were common-use among plural number of models. But the real level of interchangeability was not very high. (role of fitter) Or, a true key to Singer’s success was a good marketing? Sewing Machine Factory in mid 19th century Machine tool was belt-driven and the power was concentrated at one spot.
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: a Cross-Country/Region Comparison
    ISSN 1980-5411 (On-line version) Production, 28, e20180061, 2018 DOI: 10.1590/0103-6513.20180061 The impact of the fourth industrial revolution: a cross-country/region comparison Yongxin Liaoa*, Eduardo Rocha Louresa, Fernando Deschampsa, Guilherme Brezinskia, André Venâncioa aPontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil *[email protected] Abstract The fourth industrial revolution stimulates the advances of science and technology, in which the Internet of Things (IoT) and its supporting technologies serve as backbones for Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and smart machines are used as the promoters to optimize production chains. Such advancement goes beyond the organizational and territorial boundaries, comprising agility, intelligence, and networking. This scenario triggers governmental efforts that aim at defining guidelines and standards. The speed and complexity of the transition to the new digitalization era in a globalized environment, however, does not yet allow a common and coordinated understanding of the impacts of the actions undertaken in different countries and regions. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to bridge this gap through a systematic literature review that identifies the most influential public policies and evaluates their existing differences. This cross-country/region comparison provides a worldwide panorama of public policies’ durations, main objectives, available funding, areas for action, focused manufacturing sectors, and prioritized technologies. Findings of this review can be used as the basis to analyse the position of a country against the existing challenges imposed towards its own industrial infrastructure and also to coordinate its public policies. Keywords The fourth industrial revolution. Cross-country/region comparison. Systematic literature review. Qualitative analysis.
    [Show full text]
  • Effective Technological Equipment for Mass Production of Entomophagous Insects and Mites Used for Biological Control
    Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology B 7 (2017) 179-186 doi: 10.17265/2161-6264/2017.03.005 D DAVID PUBLISHING Effective Technological Equipment for Mass Production of Entomophagous Insects and Mites Used for Biological Control Valentina Krutyakova Engineering and Technology Institute “Biotechnics”, Odessa 65067, Ukraine Abstract: Mass production of entomophagous insects and mites is necessary for the practical use of biological method of plant protection in agriculture. For many insects, breeding is carried out at the level of industrial technology with the appropriate equipment. The main purpose of the research was to improve the technical and economic performance of equipment in the production of entomophagous insects and their hosts by optimizing equipment design and technocenosis management techniques. In laboratory experiments with using the planning of multifactor experiments, the parameters of cages for breeding were determined optimally. On this basis, sets of equipment for the trichogram, brakon, lacewort and phytoseulatus have been developed. The specific productivity of new equipment provides the necessary profitability of production. Key words: Production, entomophagous insects and mites, technological equipment, cage, productivity, profitability. 1. Introduction The Engineering and Technological Institute “Biotechnica” of the National Academy of Agrarian In augmentative biological control, invertebrate Sciences of Ukraine in Odessa is engaged in the organisms are seasonally released in large numbers to development of equipment for insect breeding. At the reduce pests. Today, it is applied on more than 30 institute, experimental design works are based on their million ha worldwide. Currently, about 230 species of own research on laboratory and mass breeding of entomophagous insects are bred under artificial insects and mites.
    [Show full text]
  • The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Sustainability Practices: a Comparative Automated Content Analysis Approach of Theory and Practice
    sustainability Review The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Sustainability Practices: A Comparative Automated Content Analysis Approach of Theory and Practice Vasja Roblek 1 , Oshane Thorpe 2 , Mirjana Pejic Bach 3,* , Andrej Jerman 4 and Maja Meško 5,6,* 1 Faculty of Organisation Studies in Novo Mesto, 8000 Novo Mesto, Slovenia; [email protected] 2 College of Media and Mass Communication, American University in the Emirates, Dubai 503000, UAE; [email protected] 3 Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb, 100000 Zagreb, Croatia 4 LPP, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; [email protected] 5 Faculty of Management, University of Primorska, 6000 Koper, Slovenia 6 Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Maribor, 4000 Kranj, Slovenia * Correspondence: [email protected] (M.P.B.); [email protected] (M.M.) Received: 23 September 2020; Accepted: 13 October 2020; Published: 15 October 2020 Abstract: (1) Background: The article provides a methodologically coherent analysis of technological development in the context of the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0 and its impact on changes in sustainable development policy. (2) Methods: Using a Comparative Automated Content Analysis (ACA) approach, the article compares recent scientific work on sustainable development and the fourth industrial revolution with the discourse in the news media on sustainable development and industry 4.0. (3) Results: The scientific literature focuses more on changes in business models, production processes, and technologies that enable sustainable development. Newspaper and magazine articles write more about sustainable or green investments, sustainable standards, and sustainable reporting. The focus is on topics that are directly relevant to current sustainable business development and the promotion of research and development of clean and smart technologies and processes.
    [Show full text]
  • The New Industrial Revolution
    559 THE NEW INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION Richard Florida This article outlines a new framework for understanding the current period of global restructuring, focusing on the relationship between technological change and organizational change. After reviewing the major approaches in the debate over future pathways to industrialization, a new perspective for understanding the ‘new industrial revolution’ is presented. At the core of this revolution is the emergence of a series of powerful new industrial technologies, which is giving rise to new forces of production and a concomitant transformation in production organization. A new shop floor is emerging, in which innovation and production, intellectual and manual labour are increasingly integrated. As this process of industrial restructuring evolves, success will depend on organizational forms which effectively harness and mobilize collective intelligence. An employee today is no longer a slave to machinery who is expected to repeat simple mechanical operations like Charlie Chaplin in the film Modern Times. He is no longer a beast of burden who works under the carrot-and-stick rule and sells his labor. After all, manual labor can be taken over by a machine or computer. Modern industry has to be brain intensive and so does the employee. Neither machinery nor animals can carry out brain intensive tasks (Akio Morita, Sony Corporation).’ The accumulation of knowledge and of skill, of the general productive forces of the social brain, is thus absorbed into capital, and hence appears as an attribute of
    [Show full text]