The simplification of material flow systems

There is a widely accepted philosophy of production organization which has provided the foundation for the design of nearly all the world's factories. It is based on a set of beliefs which until recently were never questioned. This philosophy provides restraints which make it difficult to increase efficiency. It inevitably produces very complex, material flow systems, makes it difficult to delegate responsibility for the completion of products or components and leads to highly bureaucratic systems with centralized decision making and a low level of job satisfaction. Since the Industrial Revolution we have learned to plan the production of components with some precision. Until recently we did not plan material flow systems; they only evolved as the results of thousands of independent component planning decisions. We now know how to preplan simple and efficient flow systems and to achieve by this means major gains in both productivity and workers’ job satisfaction.