Five years after the publication of MITs lean production book practitioners and academics from Japan, USA and Europe present new concepts, findings and conclusions in regard to one of the most critical areas of automobile production.

1 Introduction.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Concepts and Histories.- 2.1 Assembly Automation in Europe — Past Experience and Future Trends.- 2.2 Basic Trends in the Physics and Economics of Automated Fabrication and Assembly Operations.- 2.3 Key Characteristics of Assembly Automation Systems.- 2.4 What Do You Mean by Automation Ratio? Definitions by the Japanese Auto Makers.- 3 Diversity of Approaches.- 3.1 Present State and Future Vision of Vehicle Assembly Automation in Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.- 3.2 Development of a new Vehicle Assembly Line at Toyota: Worker-oriented, Autonomous, new Assembly System.- 3.3 Modular Assembly in Mixed-Model Production at Mazda.- 3.4 Production of the NSX at Honda: An Alternative Directionfor Assembly Organization.- 3.5 The Development of an Intelligent Body Assembly System.- 3.6 The Opel Production System.- 3.7 Platform and Modular Concepts at Volkswagen — Their Effects on the Assembly Process.- 3.8 Automation at Renault: Strategy and Form.- 3.9 Building Capabilities in Assembly Automation: Fiat’s Experiences from Robogate to the Melfi Plant.- 3.10 The Development of a Reflective Production System Layout at Volvo’s Uddevalla Car Assembly Plant.- 4 Issues and Dynamics.- 4.1 Strategies for Assembly Automation in the Automobile Industry.- 4.2 From Fixed to Flexible: Automation and Work Organization Trends from the International Assembly Plant Study.- 4.3 Rolling Back Cycle Times: The Renaissance of the Classic Assembly Line in Final Assembly.- 4.4 Rationalization also Involves Workers — Teamwork in the Mercedes-Benz Lean Concept.- 4.5 Patterns of Work Organization in the German Automobile Industry.- 4.6 The Current Social Form of Automation and a Conceivable Alternative: Experience in France.- 4.7 Worker-Generated ProductionImprovements in a Reflective Production System — or Kaizen in a Reflective Production System.- 4.8 Advanced Automation or Alternative Production Design? A Reflection on the new Japanese Assembly Plants and the Alternative Approach of Volvo Uddevalla.- 4.9 A Misguided Trajectory? Automatically Guided Vehicles in Auto Assembly.- 4.10 Organizational Change and Assembly Automation in the Dutch Automotive Industry.- 4.11 Recycling and Disassembly — Legal Burden or Strategic Opportunity?.- 5 Conclusions and Outlook.- 5.1 Lessons to be Learnt from the Japanese Style of Production and their Application to Factory Automation.- 5.2 Design Choices for Assembly Systems.- 5.3 Outlook.- 6 The Authors of the Book.

For leading the car-makers of the world the early 1990s brought significant changes, both in effectivity and profits. Formerly leading companies had to face consequences no one had expected. What are the results of the revolution in work organization and assembly automation? Scientists involved in those reports published in the early 1990s now gathered to evaluate the changes in worlds car-making industries. In this publication the reader will learn about todays concepts in automation and organization of produktion, in Japan, America and Europe. Five years later - how did the car-makers deal with the situation?