ABSTRACT
Since the late 1970s, America’s focus has been on the elimination of waste, elimination of problems, reducing cycle time, eliminating risks, and adding more value-added activities. This was a period where we focused on efficiency, effectiveness, adaptability, and reducing cost while eliminating defects. A high percentage of executive teams have questioned the effectiveness of the different performance improvement programs that were implemented. Although there were significant savings claimed for a number of implemented projects, the impact on the bottom line was nonexistent. In the early 1900s, Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler developed employees who became the new middle class of workers. Work is underway to use the three-dimensional printing technology to build low-cost housing. Successful pilots have been set up, although the production has been on a very limited scale. Projections are that they can build low-cost small housing in one-third of the time at half the cost.
