Fundamentals of Flow Manufacturing

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 231 pages
• Published by: Flow Pub July 2002
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0971303185
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0971303188
• Book Dimensions: 8.9 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Weighs: 1.4 pounds

Product Description
In spite of its widespread and growing acceptance around the world, a clear explanation of the methods of flow manufacturing has been lacking. In basics of Flow Manufacturing, flow veterans Gerard Leone and Richard D. Rahn fill this void with a step-by-step exposition of flow manufacturing strategies. Presenting the implementation process with entertaining and easy-to-understand examples, case histories and war stories, Leone and Rahn make it possible for both manufacturing and non-manufacturing professionals to understand how this strategy applies to them. The benefits include fast response time to customers, error-free processes, high quality and productivity, and the ability to compete in today’s global economy.

Leone and Rahn are experts in flow manufacturing, and as trainers and consultants they have implemented flow in some of the world’s largest companies, including GE, Boeing, Kodak, Applied Materials and Emerson Electric. Mr. Rahn is also the author of Advanced Flow Manufacturing, published in 2001.

About The Author
Gerard Leone, MS IE - MBA

During Mr. Leone’s nearly 20-year career in manufacturing management and consulting he had the opportunity to work with a broad range of manufacturing enterprises. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, his multilingual skills have been a very valuable tool in spreading the word of Flow Manufacturing around the world. He taught statistics at the University of Buenos Aires and Production Management at Colorado State University, his two Alma Maters.

A widely recognized leader in the fields of productivity improvement and manufacturing systems, Gerard has instructed and implemented Flow Processing techniques in the factory and in the office with companies like GN ReSound, The New Piper Aircraft, Whirlpool, Mobile Tool International, Lucent Technologies, Beltone, AVAYA, Thermo King and Boeing, to name a few.

Today, Mr. Leone is a Senior partner with the Business Process Consulting Group, a consulting firm dedicated to training and consulting in Flow Processing for the factory and the office, based in Littleton, Colorado.

Richard D. Rahn, MBA, CPIM

Richard D. Rahn is the president of FlowAlliance a Flow Manufacturing consulting, publishing and software tools firm headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. Formerly a vice-president with both the Kiran Consulting Group and the John Costanza Institute, Richard is a recognized leader in training and implementation of Flow Manufacturing. He has lead over thirty successful implementation programs in the US, Canada, Europe and Mexico, and has trained over 3,000 manufacturing professionals in Flow Manufacturing techniques. He has introduced Flow Manufacturing to some of the world's largest companies, including General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, John Deere, Kodak and Emerson Electric.

FlowAlliance is a pioneer in the development of lean tools for Flow Manufacturing, including the use of computer simulation modeling and Advanced Planning methodologies. This approach is presented in Richard’s first book, Advanced Flow Manufacturing.

Richard was raised in Manila and Mexico City, and teaches and consults in Spanish and English. He graduated Cum Laude from Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont and received his MBA from the University of Colorado. He has 14 years of manufacturing and management experience with Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colorado and Storage Technology Corporation in Louisville, Colorado. Flow Manufacturing has been his specialty for the past 12 years.

Reader Reviews
Though the title states "fundamentals", I think this book goes beyond that in its treatment of flow. I don't like "theory" books so I was very pleased with the practical approach taken by the authors. Most lean/JIT books cover flow, but rarely in enough detail; Fundamentals of Flow Manufacturing does a good job of balancing adequate detail without overloading the reader. I also have to complement the authors on sticking to the topic and not getting sidetracked into other lean topics. Of particular interest are the detailed calculations associated with setting up flow lines and kanbans. I also appreciated the discussion of the implications of manufacturing software and flow. This book is very well organized and a moderately quick read.