Faster, better, cheaper in the history of manufacturing: from the Stone Age to lean manufacturing and beyond

434 Pages·2017·38.1 MB·English

by  Christoph Roser

Business & Management Roser
“Brilliant insights regarding concepts of manufacturing systems for both practitioners
and academics”
—Dr. Masaru Nakano, Professor at Keio University, former manager of Toyota Central
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R&D Laboratories, Inc.
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“What an incredible abundance of facts and information comprehensively gathered and S
uniquely assembled. Its thorough production presents the fastest, best, and cheapest way to T
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make each reader more knowledgeable”
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—Dr. Stefan Bleiweis, Professor of International Management , " F a s t e r, B e t t e r,
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“Roser links the progression of tools and processes from the Stone Age to emerging society E
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to division of labor far earlier than most other scholars. He illustrates the regular progression
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of technology to improve productivity and closes with the future of work. Thought provoking E
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and a necessary addition to the library of those in industry today.”
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—Mark Warren, manufacturing engineer and amateur historian C C h e a p e r "
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The industrial revolution, mechanization, water and steam power, computers, and automation E
A in the
have given an enormous boost to manufacturing productivity. “Faster, Better, Cheaper" in the
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History of Manufacturing shows how the ability to make products faster, better, and cheaper
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has evolved from the Stone Age to modern times. It explains how different developments over R
time have raised efficiency and allowed the production of more and better products with less "

effort and materials, and hence faster, better, and cheaper. In addition, it describes the stories I
N History of Manufacturing
of inventors, entrepreneurs, and industrialists and looks at the intersections among technolo-

gy, society, machines, materials, management, and–most of all–humans. T
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"Faster, Better, Cheaper" in the History of Manufacturing covers not only the technical E

aspects (mechanization, power sources, new materials, interchangeable parts, electricity, H From the Stone Age to Lean
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automation), but organizational innovations (division of labor, Fordism, Taylorism, Lean). Most S
of all, it is a story of the people who invented, manufactured, and marketed the products. T
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Manufacturing and Beyond
This essential book: R
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• Covers the entire history and evolution of “faster, better, and cheaper products” from O
the Stone Age to modern times and beyond F

• “Connects the dots” of the historic development to give an unique overarching view on M
why and where we are now in manufacturing A Christoph Roser
• Includes insightful conclusions, lessons learned from the past, and an outlook into N
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the future
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The effect of good or bad management on manufacturing is a recurring theme in many C
chapters—This is a story of successes and failures. It is not only about technology but social T
aspects. Ultimately, it is not a book about machines but about people! U
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ISBN-13: 978-1-4987-5630-3
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9 781498 756303
"Faster, Better,

Cheaper"
in the
History of Manufacturing
From the Stone Age to Lean
Manufacturing and Beyond

"Faster, Better,

Cheaper"
in the
History of Manufacturing
From the Stone Age to Lean
Manufacturing and Beyond
Christoph Roser
Boca Raton London New York
CRC Press is an imprint of the
Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
A PRODUCTIV ITY PRESS BOOK
·Hand axe by Michel-Georges Bernard and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
·Smith from “Hausbuch der Mendelschen Zwölfbrüderstiftung”, around 1425.
·Girl working in an American textile mill 1910. Photo by Lewis Hine.
·Automotive spot welding factory. Image by KUKA Systems GmbH and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike
3.0 Unported license.
·Ford Magneto Assembly Line 1913.
·Steam engine designed by James Watt. Image from Meyers Konversations-Lexikon 1885-1890.
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© 2017 by Christoph Roser
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
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Version Date: 20160524
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Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data
Names: Roser, Christoph, author.
Title: “Faster, better, cheaper” in the history of manufacturing : from the
Stone Age to lean manufacturing and beyond / Christoph Roser.
Description: 1 Edition. | Boca Raton : CRC Press, 2016. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016003463 | ISBN 9781498756303
Subjects: LCSH: Manufacturing processes--History.
Classification: LCC TS183 .R68 2016 | DDC 670--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016003463
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
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A blind date on Valentine’s Day in Haymarket.

Contents
List of Figures .....................................................................................xiii
Preface .................................................................................................xvii
Acknowledgments ...............................................................................xxi
Chapter 1 Failure and Success in Manufacturing—The
General Motors–Toyota NUMMI Joint Venture ..............1
SeCtion i the Age of the Artisan
Chapter 2 The Stone Age .....................................................................9
2.1 The First Manufacturing Technique—Cutting ..........10
2.2 The Second Manufacturing Technique—Changing
Material Properties .........................................................13
2.3 The Third Manufacturing Technique—Joining .........14
2.4 The Fourth Manufacturing Technique—Coating .....15
2.5 The Fifth Manufacturing Technique—Casting
and Molding ....................................................................17
2.6 The Sixth Manufacturing Technique—Forming .......18
2.7 Manufacturing at the End of the Stone Age ...............19
Bibliography ..............................................................................20
Chapter 3 The Urban Revolution—The Emergence of Society .......23
3.1 The Neolithic Revolution—From Nomadic
Hunters to Settled Farmers ...........................................24
3.2 Early Division of Labor—The Emergence
of the Artisan during the Bronze Age .........................26
3.3 At the Bottom of the Social Hierarchy—Slave
Labor and Its Supervision .............................................28
3.4 Transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age ......30
Bibliography ...............................................................................31
vii
viii • Contents
Chapter 4 Advances during Antiquity .............................................33
4.1 Breaking the Energy Constraint—Animal,
Water, and Wind Power ................................................34
4.2 Accumulating Knowledge—Science
and Engineering Writings .............................................37
4.3 The First Standardization—The Harappan Culture ...39
4.4 Imperial China ...............................................................44
4.5 The Roman Empire .........................................................52
Bibliography ..............................................................................60
Chapter 5 The Middle Ages in Europe .............................................63
5.1 The Rise of the Towns ...................................................64
5.2 Agricultural Developments ..........................................66
5.3 Spread of Early Labor-Saving Technology .................68
5.4 The Role of Medieval Guilds .........................................70
5.5 The Putting-Out System ................................................76
Bibliography ...............................................................................78
SeCtion ii the industrial Revolution—
Manufacturing Gets Mechanized
Chapter 6 Early Modern Europe .......................................................81
6.1 Manufacturing Technology ..........................................82
6.2 Working Together—The Emergence
of the Manufactory .........................................................83
Bibliography ..............................................................................86
Chapter 7 Pioneers of a New Age—The Factory System .................87
7.1 The Arsenal of Venice—The Largest Industrial
Site in Europe of Its Time .............................................88
7.2 Ironmonger Ambrose Crowley
and the Economies of Scale ...........................................94
7.3 Potter Josiah Wedgwood—The Science
of Manufacturing Processes ..........................................97
Contents • ix
7.4 John Lombe’s Silk Mill in Derby—Mechanization
and Industrial Espionage .............................................102
7.5 Sir Richard Arkwright and the Cromford Cotton
Mill—Full-Scale Mechanization ................................106
7.6 The Montgolfier Paper Mill—Pioneer in Human
Relations .........................................................................110
Bibliography .............................................................................115
Chapter 8 Fire Is Stronger than Blood and Water—Steam Power ...117
8.1 The Development of the Steam Engine......................117
8.2 The First Engineering Workshops—Matthew
Boulton and the Soho Manufactory ..........................122
8.3 Power Goes Mobile—Steam Powered Locomotion ...127
8.4 Steel—A New Industry Based on Fire and Iron .......130
8.5 The Invisible Industry—Chemicals ...........................133
Bibliography .............................................................................138
Chapter 9 Interchangeable Parts—The End of Filing
in Assembly ....................................................................141
9.1 Honoré Blanc and French Musket Production .........144
9.2 Block Production at Portsmouth ................................151
9.3 The Unwilling Entrepreneur—Eli Terry’s
Wooden Clocks .............................................................159
9.4 Springfield and Harpers Ferry Armories—
The American System of Manufacturing ..................161
9.5 What about Eli Whitney? ............................................172
Bibliography .............................................................................174
Chapter 10 Social Conflict ................................................................177
10.1 Effect on Society ............................................................178
10.2 Destroy What Destroys You—Luddite Frame
Breaking .........................................................................181
10.3 Working Conditions in the Factories ........................184
10.4 Government Actions for the Workers .......................189
Bibliography .............................................................................191