An illuminating tour through the manufacturing world and its seismic influence on our lives, from internationally renowned expert Tim MinshallWe live in a manufactured world. Unless you are floating naked through space, you are right now in direct contact with multiple manufactured products, including furniture, technology, clothing, and even food. And yet the processes by which these things appear in our lives are virtually invisible. How often do we stop to think: Where do the things we buy actually come from? How are they made, and how do they make their way into our hands?The answers can be found in How Things Are Made, which traces the surprising paths taken by everyday items to reach consumers, from design to creation to delivery. Innovation expert Tim Minshall takes us on a journey through the manufacturing world, from the smallest job shops to mega-factories, from global shipping hubs to local delivery at your door, revealing the inner workings of the system that runs 24-7-365 to make and deliver the things we need—or want—to live our daily lives, including cars, cakes, phones, planes, drugs, and medical devices. Along the way, he explores how we can improve the fragility of our global manufacturing system and the impact it has on the natural world, presenting a path to a truly sustainable future.Brimming with energy and lively examples, How Things Are Made maps the awe-inspiring global system of manufacturing that enables virtually every aspect of our existence. By making sense of this surprising and hidden world, we are able to make better choices for ourselves, our communities, and the planet. Read more

A landmark investigation of the chemical industry's decades-long campaign to hide the dangers of forever chemicals, told through the story of a small town on the frontlines of an epic public health crisisIn 2014, after losing several friends and relatives to cancer, an unassuming insurance underwriter in Hoosick Falls, New York, began to suspect that the local water supply was polluted. When he tested his tap water, he discovered dangerous levels of forever chemicals. This set off a chain of events that led to 100 million Americans learning their drinking water was tainted. Although the discovery came as a shock to most, the U.S. government and the manufacturers of these toxic chemicals—used in everything from lipstick and cookware to children’s clothing—had known about their hazards for decades.In They Poisoned the World, investigative journalist Mariah Blake tells the astonishing story of this cover-up, tracing its roots back to the Manhattan Project and through the postwar years, as industry scientists discovered that these chemicals refused to break down and were saturating the blood of virtually every human being. By the 1980s, manufacturers were secretly testing their workers and finding links to birth defects, cancer, and other serious diseases. At every step, the industry’s deceptions were aided by our government’s appallingly lax regulatory system—a system that has made us all guinea pigs in a vast, uncontrolled chemistry experiment.Drawing on years of on-the-ground reporting and tens of thousands of documents, Blake interweaves the secret history of forever chemicals with the moving story of how a lone village took on the chemical giants—and won. From the beloved local doctor to the young mother who took her fight all the way to the nation’s capital, citizen activists in Hoosick Falls and beyond have ignited the most powerful grassroots environmental movement since Silent Spring.Humane and revelatory, this book will provoke outrage—and hopefully inspire the change we need to protect the health of every American for generations to come. Read more

Each year Americans start one million new businesses, nearly 80 percent of which fail within the first five years. Under such pressure to stay alive—let alone grow—it’s easy for entrepreneurs to get caught up in a never-ending cycle of “sell it—do it, sell it—do it” that leaves them exhausted, frustrated, and unable to get ahead no matter how hard they try. This is the exact situation Mike Michalowicz found himself in when he was trying to grow his first company. Although it was making steady money, there was never very much left over and he was chasing customers left and right, putting in twenty-eight-hour days, eight days a week. The punishing grind never let up. His company was alive but stunted, and he was barely breathing. That’s when he discovered an unlikely source of inspiration—pumpkin farmers. After reading an article about a local farmer who had dedicated his life to growing giant pump­kins, Michalowicz realized the same process could apply to growing a business. He tested the Pumpkin Plan on his own company and transformed it into a remarkable, multimillion-dollar industry leader. First he did it for himself. Then for others. And now you. So what is the Pumpkin Plan?Plant the right seeds: Don’t waste time doing a bunch of different things just to please your customers. Instead, identify the thing you do better than anyone else and focus all of your attention, money, and time on figuring out how to grow your company doing it.Weed out the losers: In a pumpkin patch small, rotten pumpkins stunt the growth of the robust, healthy ones. The same is true of customers. Figure out which customers add the most value and provide the best opportunities for sustained growth. Then ditch the worst of the worst.Nurture the winners: Once you figure out who your best customers are, blow their minds with care. Discover their unfulfilled needs, innovate to make their wishes come true, and overdeliver on every single promise.Full of stories of other successful entrepreneurs, The Pumpkin Plan guides you through unconven­tional strategies to help you build a truly profitable blue-ribbon company that is the best in its field. Read more

Steve Bannon calls Reshoree, “One of the most important books of the year, a tour de force of economic history and economic philosophy.”Drive through rural America and you’ll see small town after small town empty and decaying. As you drive past the abandoned manufacturing plants and shuttered Victorian homes once inhabited by its workers and executives, you can picture what the town was like forty years ago. A thriving community where the company president and assembly line worker went to the same church and whose children went to the same school.But what if we could reclaim this America?In Spencer Morrison’s provocative new book, Reshore: How Tariffs Will Bring Our Jobs Home and Revive the American Dream, Morrison argues that the strong manufacturing base that was long the cornerstone of a strong middle class, healthy economy and thriving country can be revived. Its disappearance was a choice – one made by elites who only cared about their bottom dollar - to export our jobs and our wealth abroad.The all-too-predictable result is that Americans are poorer than they have ever been. And the cultural consequences could hardly be more profound. At an alarming rate, Americans are swapping healthy foods for highly processed foods, replacing high quality appliances and household items with imported cheap, low-quality goods and are becoming renters instead of homeowners. Because we are poorer, fewer of us are getting married and having children. In the hopelessness that abounds in rural America, more are turning to drugs. How can this horrific reality be reversed, argues Morrison? Tariffs!Reshore dispels the common misconceptions that free traders, libertarians and too many “conservatives” use to scare the American people about tariffs. It is vital listening for Americans ready to once again put America first and rebuild the America our founders left us. Read more

With over $500 million a year in sales, the Bassett Furniture Company was once the world's biggest wood furniture manufacturer. Run by the same powerful Virginia family for three generations, it was also the center of life in Bassett, VA-an unincorporated town that existed solely for the people who built the company's products. But beginning in the 1980s, the Bassett company suffered from an influx of cheap Chinese furniture as the first waves of Asian competition hit, and ultimately was forced to send its production offshore to Asia. Only one man fought back. That man is John Bassett III, a descendant of the Bassetts who is now chairman of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Co, which employs more than 700 Virginians and has sales of over $90 million. In Factory Man, Beth Macy brings to life Bassett's deeply personal furniture and family story. As she shows how he uses legal maneuvers, factory efficiencies, and sheer grit, cunning, and will to save hundreds of jobs, she also discovers the hidden and shocking truth about industry and America. Read more

What if one overlooked hazard could cost you everything you’ve built?Most business owners don’t realize they’re one accident away from lost revenue, lawsuits, or even a shutdown—until it’s too late.The truth? One workplace injury can cost over $42,000… and you’re likely not as safe as you think.That’s why Dr. Nicholas Eckert, a national speaker and safety expert with more than 15 years of real-world experience, created The SAFE Framework™—a practical, proven system designed to help business owners reduce risk, prevent injuries, and protect their people without breaking the bank or hiring a safety team.This isn’t another compliance checklist.It’s a high-impact strategy that shows you how to stop reacting after accidents and start preventing them before they happen.What you’ll learn inside:Why most safety programs fail—and how yours can thriveThe mindset shift that saves companies thousands each yearHow to get your team to actually care about safetyA proven method to spot hazards before they become incidentsHow to turn safety into a strategic advantage that boosts productivity and moraleWhether you run a factory, a warehouse, a jobsite, or an office with hidden risks, this guide gives you the tools to take control of safety and move your business forward with confidence.Don't wait until a close call becomes a crisis.Start building a safer, stronger business today with The SAFE Framework™ Read more

Speak the Language - Understand the Concepts - Know the Techniques The Lean Manufacturing Pocket Handbook is intended as a reference guide covering the terms, concepts and techniques involved in Lean Manufacturing. It is written in an easy to understand fashion making it useful to both the seasoned Professional and the Novice. Paper Back - .125" x 3 13/16" x 5 1/16" - 44 Pages - 27 Visuals - 34 Definitions - 16 Examples. Also Available in Spanish see: El Manual De Bolsillo De Manufactura Esbelta Read more

The most important reference to Six Sigma―fully updated for the latest advancesThis thoroughly revised, industry-standard guide delivers all the information you need to apply Six Sigma techniques and dramatically improve processes, profitability, sustainability, and long-term growth. Written by two of the foremost authorities in Six Sigma, the book shows you, step by step, how to build the best teams and foster effective leadership while maximizing customer satisfaction and boosting profits. This new edition features a number of important updates, including AI, big data and machine learning, healthcare statistics, and modern supply chain challenges. This hands-on resource also lays out cutting-edge applications for social media data, decision trees, remote technology, and web scrapers.Coverage includes:Six Sigma implementation and managementRecognizing and capitalizing on opportunityData-driven managementSelecting and supporting Six Sigma projectsSix Sigma tools and techniquesThe define phaseThe measure phaseMeasurement systems evaluationThe analyze phaseThe improve/design phaseThe control/verify phase Read more

New York Times Bestseller: “A historical overview of the auto industry in the United States and Japan [and] the gradual decline of U.S. manufacturing” (Library Journal).  After generations of creating high-quality automotive products, American industrialists began losing ground to the Japanese auto industry in the decades after World War II. David Halberstam, with his signature precision and absorbing narrative style, traces this power shift by delving into the boardrooms and onto the factory floors of the America’s Ford Motor Company and Japan’s Nissan. Different in every way—from their reactions to labor problems to their philosophies and leadership styles—the two companies stand as singular testaments to the challenges brought by the rise of the global economy. From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Fifties and The Coldest Winter, and filled with intriguing vignettes about Henry Ford, Lee Iacocca, and other visionary industrial leaders, The Reckoning remains a powerful and enlightening story about manufacturing in the modern age, and how America fell woefully behind.  This ebook features an extended biography of David Halberstam. Read more

None

SYSTEMology is trusted by leaders worldwide as the #1 “System For Systemising Your Business.”Transform your owner-dependent business into a profitable, well-oiled machine that runs itself.Most business owners think that they must be the ones to document their processes when systemising their operations. But systems devotee David Jenyns has found that they’re typically the worst people to be doing it - there is a better way!SYSTEMology offers a structured framework designed to systemize your business efficiently, even for the busiest owners. Drawing on over 20 years of experience and real-life case studies, David Jenyns outlines a path to Complete Business Reliability.In this book, you'll uncover:Why most business owners struggle to systemize their operationsWhere to start and which systems to prioritizeThe secret to modeling your best team members for rapid system creationStrategies to get even the most stubborn team members to follow your systemsHow to integrate system improvement into your team's routineThe best way to unlock innovation and strategies to skyrocket your creativityHow to make improving systems a regular part of your team's routineAnd much more!It’s time to say hello to a more organized, repeatable and scalable business. Start reading or listening now.“A must for any business owner and their leadership team."Gıno Wickman, Traction. Read more

Supply chains are the lifeblood of the global economy, yet they often operate in the shadows, only noticed when they fail. This book is a call to action—a challenge to reimagine supply chains not just as systems of efficiency, but as engines of innovation, resilience, and growth. At the heart of every successful supply chain is one essential truth: it’s all about relationships.Antifragile Supply Chains: Building Resilience Through Better Strategy and Stronger Relationships is a must-read for supply chain leaders navigating today’s rapidly evolving landscape.In the past five years, supply chains have faced more disruption than in the previous four decades combined. From geopolitical upheavals and economic uncertainty to the rise of AI and automation, the industry is transforming at an unprecedented pace. Traditional supply chain resilience strategies are no longer enough. The goal is not just to survive disruption—but to thrive because of it.In this book, veteran supply chain expert Anna McGovern provides a step-by-step roadmap to achieving antifragility—a state where supply chains become stronger under stress. You’ll learn how to:Rethink inventory management to balance agility and efficiencyStrengthen supplier relationships to create a more collaborative, crisis-proof networkLeverage AI and emerging technologies to predict and mitigate disruptionsBuild a strategy that turns volatility into a competitive advantageWhether you're a supply chain executive, operations leader, or procurement professional, this book will transform how you approach supply chain management in an era of continuous disruption.Your supply chain isn’t just a cost center. It’s your greatest strategic asset. Learn how to make it antifragile. Read more

A moving and eye-opening look at the story of manufacturing in America, whether it can ever successfully return to our shores, and why our nation depends on it, told through the experience of one young couple in Maine as they attempt to rebuild a lost industry, ethically. • From the best-selling author of Into the Raging Sea Ben Waxman spent a decade organizing workers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin, fighting for men and women at a time when national support for unions had sunk to an all-time low. Frustrated with the state of the world, he lands back in his hometown of Portland, Maine, to rethink his life. There, he meets Whitney Reynolds, a restless bartender eager for a challenge. In each other, they see a better future, a version of the American dream they can build together.Ben and Whitney set out to prove that union-made, all-American-sourced apparel manufacturing is possible in the twenty-first century. Their quest takes us across the nation and across time, from the cotton fields of Mississippi to the hollowed-out garment district in New York City to a family-owned zipper company in Los Angeles to the enormous knit-and-dye houses in North Carolina. While battling anti-immigrant hostility, trade wars, and a global pandemic, they grapple with the true meaning of made-in-USA in our globalized world.Making It in America offers a fascinating new take on free-trade economics and manufacturing history. Woven through the Waxmans’ journey is the essential story of textiles and their critical role in shaping capitalism. It was the demand for cheap cloth that sparked the industrial revolution. It was the brutal conditions in New England's textile mills that first drove workers to organize. Making It in America is a deeply personal account of how individual choices shape a nation. Each touchpoint casts a rare, compassionate look at what came before, where we are now, and where we’re going—through the people, places, and ecologies that produce the fabric of our lives. Read more

Do you dream of turning your woodworking hobby into a profitable business? Would you like to make six figures working on your terms and schedule? You’ve come to the right place!Turn your passion into profit with this complete step-by-step guide to starting your very own woodworking business in 2025! Whether you’re a complete beginner or have sold a few pieces before, you can launch a successful woodworking business in less time than you could ever imagine with this highly profitable framework that puts YOU in full control of your earnings.With this complete guide, you can make money with woodworking by building your successful business online, offline, or both! You’ll learn the most effective strategies for making consistent sales on Etsy, Amazon Handmade, eBay, or even through your own website. You’ll also discover expert tips for selling at craft shows and art fairs, displaying your work in galleries, partnering with interior designers, and SO much more.With this step-by-step manual for earning multiple streams of income from your woodworking business, you can rest assured that you’re not leaving any money on the table!Inside this book, you’ll discover:How to set up your workshop, develop your skills, and invest in equipment that will ensure your business succeeds from the very beginningHow to develop a highly profitable product line, so you can make guaranteed sales for the wood crafts that you enjoy making the mostThe key branding principles that will make your woodworking business stand out from the competition, so the right customers can easily find youHow to take professional photos that do justice to your work, so you can skyrocket your online sales and get accepted into the top craft showsHow to package your wood crafts for in-person selling, as well as pro tips for shipping small, midsize, and large packages (including wooden furniture) in a way that’s safe and legalThe must-know pricing formula that ensures you earn top dollar for your wood projects, while also maximizing sales and increasing your profit margins over timeHow to sell your wood products in person at art and craft shows, special events, expos, and more with expert tips for filling out your application, setting up your booth, and standing out from the competitionHow to sell your wood crafts online through Etsy, Amazon Handmade, eBay, your own website, and more, including key strategies for increasing your earnings on each platformThe powerful six-figure marketing framework that results in massive sales and a fast-growing income, including social media strategy, email marketing, in-person sales tips, and moreThe technical aspects of running a woodworking business, including setting up an LLC, obtaining licenses and permits, choosing insurance, and filing taxes, presented as simple concepts in easy-to-understand termsThe highly-coveted insider strategies for scaling your income with high-end selling, including selling to galleries, interior designers, auction houses, and moreThe most effective ways to capitalize on multiple streams of revenue, so you can build a sustainable six-figure woodworking business with a dependable income that fully supports you and your loved onesWith these proven strategies, you can run your very own woodworking empire and make six figures doing what you love! If you start today, your bank account (and life) could look drastically different a year from now.So what are you waiting for? Let’s start building your profitable woodworking business today! Read more

For readers of Hillbilly Elegy and Strangers in Their Own LandWINNER OF THE OHIOANA BOOK AWARDS AND FINALIST FOR THE 87TH CALIFORNIA BOOK AWARDS |NAMED A BEST/MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2017 BY: New York Post • Newsweek • The Week • Bustle • Books by the Banks Book Festival • Bookauthority.comThe Wall Street Journal: "A devastating portrait...For anyone wondering why swing-state America voted against the establishment in 2016, Mr. Alexander supplies plenty of answers." Laura Miller, Slate: "This book hunts bigger game.Reads like an odd?and oddly satisfying?fusion of George Packer’s The Unwinding and one of Michael Lewis’ real-life financial thrillers."The New Yorker : "Does a remarkable job." Beth Macy, author of Factory Man: "This book should be required reading for people trying to understand Trumpism, inequality, and the sad state of a needlessly wrecked rural America. I wish I had written it." In 1947, Forbes magazine declared Lancaster, Ohio the epitome of the all-American town. Today it is damaged, discouraged, and fighting for its future. In Glass House, journalist Brian Alexander uses the story of one town to show how seeds sown 35 years ago have sprouted to give us Trumpism, inequality, and an eroding national cohesion.The Anchor Hocking Glass Company, once the world’s largest maker of glass tableware, was the base on which Lancaster’s society was built. As Glass House unfolds, bankruptcy looms. With access to the company and its leaders, and Lancaster’s citizens, Alexander shows how financial engineering took hold in the 1980s, accelerated in the 21st Century, and wrecked the company. We follow CEO Sam Solomon, an African-American leading the nearly all-white town’s biggest private employer, as he tries to rescue the company from the New York private equity firm that hired him. Meanwhile, Alexander goes behind the scenes, entwined with the lives of residents as they wrestle with heroin, politics, high-interest lenders, low wage jobs, technology, and the new demands of American life: people like Brian Gossett, the fourth generation to work at Anchor Hocking; Joe Piccolo, first-time director of the annual music festival who discovers the town relies on him, and it, for salvation; Jason Roach, who police believed may have been Lancaster’s biggest drug dealer; and Eric Brown, a local football hero-turned-cop who comes to realize that he can never arrest Lancaster’s real problems. Read more

In this book, author Nate Furuta, former chair and CEO of Toyota Boshoku America Inc., shares the story of his decades of experience directly leading the establishment of Toyota cultures outside Japan. Furuta was the first Toyota employee on the ground at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI), Toyota’s joint venture in California with General Motors, where he directly led the establishment of the most revolutionary labor-management agreement in the history of the US auto industry. In addition, Furuta was the first Toyota employee on the ground in Georgetown Kentucky at Toyota’s first full-scale, wholly owned manufacturing operation outside Japan, where he led (working directly with President Fujio Cho) the establishment of Toyota’s general management systems and culture there. This book tells the stories of establishing successful operations in those two iconic organizations as well as others. Furuta reveals details, both stories and process descriptions that only he can tell. He takes you along as he and others lead Toyota’s intense globalization from the early 1980s to recent days. He introduces you to the critical leaders in Toyota's history, such as Taiichi Ohno and Fujio Cho as well as Kenzo Tamai, the head of the company’s HRM function in the 1980s. This book is not about human-resource management (HRM) policies and procedures. It provides a deep dive into the way senior leaders embody deep awareness of HRM matters, developing and executing company strategy while at the same time developing organizational capability. The role of senior leaders isn’t just a matter of directing the company to achieve objectives; it is a matter of building the capability to achieve those objectives, consistently, and further developing capability as it executes. Key to this is to develop the awareness, attitude, capability, and practice of identifying problems as progress is made toward achieving objectives, which is, in fact, attained through steadily eliminating each problem as it arises. This becomes a self-reinforcing loop of the organization, tapping in to the essence of solving problems while simultaneously developing ever better problem-solving skills and better problem solvers. This loop propels an organization toward meeting its purpose while developing capability for capability development. Essentially, this book reveals Toyota’s general management systems from the firsthand experience of a Toyota Japanese senior manager and describes, with stories and process examples, the attitude, behaviors, and systems needed to successfully establish and lead in a true Lean business environment. Read more

Here at last is the first-ever encyclopedic picture book of JIT. With 218 pages of photos, drawings, and diagrams, this unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at actual production and assembly plants illustrates exactly how JIT looks and functions. It shows the way each area of a JIT plant is set up and provides hundreds of useful ideas you can implement, including: Multiprocess handlingCell technology manufacturingOne-piece flowQuick changeoversVisual control systemsKanban and andonIf you've made the crucial decision to run production using JIT and want to show your employees what it's is all about--this book is a must. The photographs, from various Japanese production and assembly plants, provide vivid depictions of what work is like in a JIT environment. And the text, simple and easy to read, makes all the essentials crystal clear.Truly, a picture is worth a thousand words. You won't find a more accessible or enjoyable introduction to JIT anywhere. It's obvious why this is already one of our most popular books. Read more

The steel facility that helped advance the modern American West.Through his record-busting construction career, Henry J. Kaiser continuously pulled off the impossible. When he announced his plans to enter the wartime shipbuilding business and to mass-produce steel in the small, agricultural town of Fontana, experts were shocked, but his determination made him a national figure. "Miracle Man Kaiser" built a steel plant in record time, and it churned out over a million tons of the invaluable metal for the 1940s war effort. In an industry rocked by disharmony, his company adopted the slogan 'Together We Build', and his skill in navigating labor relations made it a powerhouse. Join author and historian Ric A. Dias as he highlights the successes, failures, and limits of this trailblazer's dreams. Read more

A sweeping, global history of the rise of the factory and its effects on society.We live in a factory-made world: modern life is built on three centuries of advances in factory production, efficiency, and technology. But giant factories have also fueled our fears about the future since their beginnings, when William Blake called them "dark Satanic mills." Many factories that operated over the last two centuries―such as Homestead, River Rouge, and Foxconn―were known for the labor exploitation and class warfare they engendered, not to mention the environmental devastation caused by factory production from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution up to today.In a major work of scholarship that is also wonderfully accessible, celebrated historian Joshua B. Freeman tells the story of the factory and examines how it has reflected both our dreams and our nightmares of industrialization and social change. He whisks readers from the textile mills in England that powered the Industrial Revolution and the factory towns of New England to the colossal steel and car plants of twentieth-century America, Eastern Europe, and the Soviet Union and on to today’s behemoths making sneakers, toys, and cellphones in China and Vietnam.The giant factory, Freeman shows, led a revolution that transformed human life and the environment. He traces arguments about factories and social progress through such critics and champions as Marx and Engels, Charles Dickens, Alexander Hamilton, Henry Ford, and Joseph Stalin. He chronicles protests against standard industry practices from unions and workers’ rights groups that led to shortened workdays, child labor laws, protection for organized labor, and much more.In Behemoth, Freeman also explores how factories became objects of great wonder that both inspired and horrified artists and writers in their time. He examines representations of factories in the work of Charles Sheeler, Margaret Bourke-White, Charlie Chaplin, Diego Rivera, and Edward Burtynsky.Behemoth tells the grand story of global industry from the Industrial Revolution to the present. It is a magisterial work on factories and the people whose labor made them run. And it offers a piercing perspective on how factories have shaped our societies and the challenges we face now. 30 illustrations Read more

This book provides insight into the world of pharmaceutical quality systems and the key elements that must be in place to change the business and organizational dynamics from task-oriented procedure-based cultures to truly integrated quality business systems that are self-detecting and correcting. Chapter flow has been changed to adopt a quality systems organization approach, and supporting chapters have been updated based on current hot topics including the impact of the worldwide supply chain complexity and current regulatory trends.Key Features:Presents insight into the world of pharmaceutical quality systemsAnalyzes regulatory trends and expectationsIncludes approaches and practices used in the industry to comply with regulatory requirementsDiscusses recent worldwide supply chain issuesDelivers valuable information to a worldwide audience regarding the current GMP practices in the industry Read more