Creating a New Breed of Manufacturing Manager

William Skinner has set forth what is needed from manufacturing managers today:

1) A comfort-level knowledge of mechanical, electronic, and management science technology as well as all business functions.

2) Skills including system design, contrasted with specialized technical skills.

3) Attitudes that are positive toward change.

4) The ability to conceptualize combined with the ability to work from specifics systematically and analytically rather than intuitively.

5) Assumptions that the objectives of a manufacturing system are multidimensional.

General Electric started in 1878 as Edison Electric Light and became one of the leading and most diversified manufacturing operations in the world. by 1985, the company operated plants and laboratories in over 200 locations in 34 states and Puerto Rico and had another 135 manufacturing plants in 25 other countries.

During that time, both manufacturing and the training used by GE have changed. Manufacturing was traditionally seen as a dirty job that did not require intelligence or managers as a

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the technical competence of manufacturing; and 2) to turn out subsection manager potential within 10 to 15 years. The program has been highly successful, and other companies have started recruiting MMP graduates. After 10 years, retention levels stood at 40 percent. Because of problems, an Advanced Course in Manufacturing was created. The Procter & Gamble experience begins with the formation of the company in 1837 as a major manufacturer of consumer packaged goods. By 1947 the recruiting effort of the company had increased and the company had become highly decentralized with each plant manager responsible for recruiting at specific schools. The effort was rethought with the recession of 1982, and the staff decided to limit its efforts to the best 75 out of the 150 schools where they had been recruiting. New hires are assigned a job right from the start, but the first few weeks are usually spent on general company orientation and basic manufacturing training in the classroom and on the job. Some time was spent working on the line. For the next three to four months new hires prepare for "final takeover" of their specific management positions. Trainees are allowed whatever time is necessary to learn their job. After "final q
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Approximate Word count = 1281
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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