| The Misplaced Origin of Just-In-Time (JIT) Production Methods |
| | Petersen, Peter B. | Johns Hopkins U. | petep@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu | (410)-516-0767 |
| | Just-in-Time production methods were popularized by the excellent results achieved by Japanese industry. While Taichi Ohno, creator of Toyota's production system, credits Henry Ford as the originator, Ernest Kanzler developed many of the details while working for Henry Ford. This paper reports Ford and Kanzler's contributions. |
| | Keywords: Just-In-Time; Henry Ford ; Productivity |
| Frederick W. Taylor's 1899 Pig Iron Experiments: Examining Fact, Fiction, and Lessons to be Learned for the Millennium |
| | Wrege, Charles D. | Cornell U. | wrege@cornell.edu | (732)-449-3388 |
| | Hodgetts, Richard M. | Florida International U. | hodgetts@fiu.edu | 305-448-4788 |
| | The famous pig iron loading experiments at Bethlehem Iron in 1899 have often been cited as an example of how scientific management helped lead the way for increased industrial efficiency in America in the 20th century. This research paper, relying heavily on primary sources, reveals that Taylor's pig iron anecdote was an interesting and enjoyable one-but fraught with oversights and generalizations. In particular, he failed to explain many of the changes that were made in the loading operations and generalized the results via a few well-chosen stories such as the work of Henry Noll (Schmidt). In fact, new information drawn primarily from the original records of both investigators on-site as well as from others associated with the study, including Taylor himself, show that the experiments actually cost the company more money than they saved; and Taylor's reasons for conducting the studies may have been more motivated by a desire to obtain a stock position in the company than in increasing pig iron loading
efficiency. Drawing on these new findings, management history lessons are offered and the value of the experiments for the millennium is discussed. |
| | Keywords: scientific management; management history; Frederick Taylor |