Book excerpt: SPC. Just-In-Time. Continuous Improvement. By now, every manufacturing manager and executive knows how these practices can significant)y impact productivity, customer service, and profits. While many organizations have designed a foundation for systems and quality improvement, the quality structure will never effectively materialize unless the front line has the skills, tools, and knowledge needed to compete in the global market. With its easy-to-use format, Frontline Manufacturing provides the first step for staying competitive by describing the basic techniques that can improve yields, attitudes, quality, new product deliveries, customer service, and more. This instructional tool focuses on four areas - basic manufacturing, JIT process/quality control, and personal development. With these essential skills and techniques, you'll reduce errors and waste, increase productivity, and communicate your ideas more effectively. Written in plain, easy-to-understand language, Frontline Manufacturing offers: . Everyday examples of ways frontline workers can integrate quality into manufacturing processes and job performance. A comprehensive, one-stop glossary that clarifies unfamiliar terms and industry buzzwords to eliminate communication hurdles. Practical reference sections that provide information on charting, frontline rules, weights and measures, problem-solving tables, statistical formulas, Malcolm Baldrige Award criteria, and more. If you are a line worker, the techniques offered in Frontline Manufacturing will improve the manufacturing and interpersonal skills you need for a successful job performance. Supervisors will discover methods to manage an efficient, intelligent team whose primary goal is to manufacture quality products. As the organization begins to operate as one cohesive unit, the working environment will become charged with the cooperative spirit necessary for competing on a world-class level.