Exploring how to incorporate the roles of machines into modern-day management, this book explains how performance differences in various factories are directly linked to how people use the machines. It looks at the human interfaces for individual machines, the linking of machines into cells, the management of monuments and common services, automation, maintenance, and production control. It provides strategies and tools to make the technical and managerial decisions to make working with machines effective and profitable. The author emphasizes the importance of the jidoka pillar of the Toyota Production System and discusses ways to group machines together into cells.