Abstract
Since the beginning of 1970's, the circumstances of the world economy have been changed from the stage of high growth rate of GNP in the developed countries to the stage of its low level. To escape from their pressures, business firms are trying to reconstruct the industrial society based on a new technology depending on microelectronics. Their endeavor at rationalisation has aimed at the higher productivity of labor.
New technology has tried to replace the function of intellectual human work with ME machine.
Economists have proposed the theory of the scope merit in their social networking theory against the scale merit in mass production. Change propagates from one industry to related section as a chain reacton process, in inducing succesive change. It takes real time to change. On this point we should learn Prof. A. O. Hirschman's concept of “sequential solution.” This may be a key word to understand the global economic dynamism.
Now the new production systems are being developed world-wide. America is developing CIM system (Computer integrated manufacturing). This system integrates each system (from order-receive to product delivery) and aims at customised system.
Japan is developing HIM system (Human Integrated Manufacturing) and IMS (Intelligent Manufacturing System).
Both systems involve JIT/TQC as a basic module and allow co-existence of man and machine. The ideal is to manufacture everything in lots of one within the same efficiency as mass production (Product-mixed is produced in the same manner nearly as mass production).
