Summary

Since the MIT study on the effectiveness and quality of assembly plants in the motor vehicle industry was translated into several different languages, the terms of "lean production" and "lean management" have become worldwide catchwords. However, in many cases the true meaning of these terms is not fully understood, and they are used simply as a synonym for personnel reductions. The aim of this Special Report is to provide a detailed description of the development of plant organisation towards lean production and the fractal plant, to highlight the impor- tant characteristics of lean production for newspaper printing, and in this way to provide our members with guidelines for the realisation of a corporate culture oriented towards effectiveness and employee motivation. The connection with the motor vehicle industry is a result of the history of the development of lean production, but is also in accordance with the exemplary function that this leading branch of industry has in many countries. Lean production works only with people who are conscious of their responsibility and who are prepared to accept it by organising themselves accordingly. Undoubtedly, this involves a lengthy learning process for some, though the present economic crisis should help accelerate this process. Besides the potential productivity enhancement, it is aimed also to ensure that professions in the graphic arts industry remain attractive in order to be able to call upon qualified personnel also for the necessary night shift work. The failures experienced with CIM, in the sense of fully automated factories operating with un- manned shifts, have proved that it is impossible to keep an automated plant running without the involvement of a qualified specialist. Of course, lean production is not a quick-fix remedy for the current recession. But it does represent a way to emerge from this situation in a slimmed-down and tit condition, therefore better equipped to manage future crises.