Foreword -- About the author -- Introduction -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Historical Outlines and Industrial Strategies for Automotive Industries -- 1.1 Historical Outlines in Automotive Industries -- 1.2 Strategic Planning of Production Activities -- 1.3 Process Integration and “Make or Buy” Decision Making -- 1.4 Manufacturing Systems’ Set-Up and Location Criteria -- 1.5 Technologies for Materials Applied to Vehicles’ Construction Overview -- 1.6 Sketches for Manufacturing Systems Adopted in Cars Manufacturing -- 1.7 Systems’ Strategical Prerogatives -- 2 From project to product -- 2.1 Standardization Logics and Project Setting Up -- 2.2 Industrialization Process Description -- 2.3 Product/Process Information Technology System -- 2.4 Product Composition Analysis -- 2.5 Product Technical Changes Management -- 3 Manufacturing Engineering and Equipment Efficiency Evaluation -- 3.1 Manufacturing Engineering Planning and Executive Project -- 3.2 Production Capacity Setting -- 3.3 Working Time Analysis Methodologies -- 3.4 Man/Machine Interaction and Standard Working Time Defining -- 3.5 Equipment Times Deployment Diagram -- 3.6 Integrated Production System Introduction -- 3.7 Operative Productivity and Flexibility -- 3.8 Equipment and Machine Loading -- 3.9 Installed Productive Capacity Defining -- 4 Work Analysis and Labour Productivity Evaluation Criteria -- 4.1 Activity Level and Labour Efficiency -- 4.2 Manpower Planning -- 4.3 Working Time Length and Flexibility -- 4.4 Labour Productivity and Improvement Plans -- 4.5 Input Data for Operative Control -- 4.6 Tasks Assignment and Workload Balancing -- 4.7 Production Employees Motivation and Rewarding -- 5 Manufacturing System Management and Maintenance Criteria -- 5.1 Plant Manufacturing System -- 5.2 Equipment Reliability and Maintainability -- 5.3 Maintenance Management -- 5.4 Costs and Maintenance Effectiveness Correlation -- 5.5 General and Complementary Equipment for Production -- 5.6 Tools and Consumables Management -- 5.7 “Total Productive Maintenance” approach -- 6 Logistics and Supply Chain Basics for Automotive Application -- 6.1 Logistics Historical Evolution and Actual Strategies -- 6.2 Logistics Flows in the Supply Chain -- 6.3 Material Handling and Inventory Management Methodologies -- 6.4 Production and Delivery Planning -- 6.5 Logistics Information Technology Systems -- 6.6 Logistics Key Performance Indicators -- 7 Global Purchasing Operations -- 7.1 Purchasing Department’s Role -- 7.2 Purchasing Policies Evolution -- 7.3 Purchasing Marketing and Global Sourcing Policies -- 7.4 Suppliers Network Management -- 7.5 Order Procedure and Cooperation Agreements -- 7.6 Supplying Cost and Purchasing Effectiveness Indicators -- 7.7. “E-Procurement” Techniques -- 8 Quality Management and Continuous Improvement -- 8.1 The “Learning Curve” Concept -- 8.2 Production Ramp Up and Maximum Rate Achievement -- 8.3 Quality Management in Industrial Processes -- 8.4 Quality and Reliability Assurance Techniques in Product Design Phase -- 8.5 “Total Quality Management” and Continuous Improvement Approach -- 9 Value Creation and Final Considerations -- 10 (APPENDIX) Production Management Basics -- 10.1 The Product -- 10.2 Production Systems -- 10.3 Criteria for the Stock and Lots Management -- 10.4 Problems Connected to the Planning Horizon -- 10.5 APP (Aggregated Production Planning) -- 10.6 MPS (Master Production Schedule) -- 10.7 MRP (Material Requirement Planning) -- List of Abbreviations.