For “business processes and procedures” amazon(dot)com returned 1,800 titles. “business process management” yielded 26,000 books.
And “business processes” led to over 490,000 book titles.
Four hundred and ninety thousand. That’s a lot of books. Does this mean that Americans consider internal processes critical to the success of companies?
You can see how Audi R8, RS5, S5, A5 and Q2 is produced. There is even video of making E-engine of Audi.
YouTube comments:
“Great video displaying the quality in manufacturing Audi takes in building their cars. Also, I did not know that Audi had supermodels working for them. ;)”
“The level.of automation in the factory is just amazing. The quality checks are spot on. The ergonomic set up of workstations are splendid.”
“Great content! I love this I absolutely love Audi and what they are going. They are a great company. I don’t think you would get this kind of quality from a Tesla. Keep up the great work!”
How MAN trucks are made. Production by robots and employees in Scania, Renault, DAF, MACK, Freightliner etc. Manufacturing video from start to finish.
YouTube comments:
“Convincing efficient precision machinery and correspondingly qualified personnel. My admiration.”
“Just as Tesla is revolutionary car assembly and dominate in BEVs with its Gigafactories and Gigacastings it will soon be revolutionizing in SemiTruck production and dominate in BE Trucks.”
For the German thinker Max Weber bureaucracy was positive, modern, effective, efficient, just.
German processes, and the way in which German colleagues live them, can come across to non-German colleagues as bureaucratic.
But what if German processes possess the qualities that Weber described in bureaucracy?
1. Non-elected government officials. Administrative policy-making group. 2. Specialization of functions, adherence to fixed rules, hierarchy of authority. 3.A system of administration marked by officialism, red-tape and proliferation. From French bureaucratie: bureau desk and –cratie a kind of government. (MerriamWebster)
Frederick Taylor was an American engineer from Philadelphia whose studies in the early 20th century had great influence on American industrial processes. His Principles of Scientific Management focused process standardization, systematic training and the definition of roles and responsibilities. It led to the term Taylorism.
Germans believe that processes — how the work is done — are the key to success. Americans, however, favor relationships, or how to gain and retain customers.
By tradition, Germany is more a culture of artisans (Handwerkerkultur) than of traders (Händlerkultur). The Germans have always made things. And they believe that process — how the work is done — is the key to success. Good processes lead to good products, bad processes to bad ones.
One well-known German manager, Klaus-Hardy Mühdeck, the CIO of ThyssenKrupp, is even nicknamed the Prozesspapst, the Process Pope, and has changed his title to Chief Process Officer. Because processes govern the internal workings of a company, whoever has the say over process has the say over how the work is done, and thus over the company. As the Germans see it process is power. And Germans want the power. Who doesn’t?
Elon Musk wanted the factory in Germany. Why? Great automobile culture. Largest economy in Europe. Central geographic location. And, perhaps most importantly, great engineers. It makes you wonder what Henry Ford would have thought of this.
YouTube comments:
“This might just be the coolest car related video ever made. I can just imagine the person in the production meeting that suggested this and you just know when Elon heard about it he was like ‘Yep that’s sick’.”
“Tesla makes the best car commercials without making car commercials.”
“One of the best process walkthroughs I have ever seen. Amazing footage. Amazing piloting. Amazing process. Well done!”
“I’m a Tesla employee in Berlin and I was there on our ceremonial day. I can say that I saw with my bare eyes the guy who is controlling the drone. He has some amazing skills, so this video is made by him and its not fake. Cheers!”
2012. USA. The PBS Newshour. During the European debt crisis. About two great German Mittelstand companies, small- to medium-sized companies.
Richard Hammond visits the Wolfsburg Volkswagen Factory in Wolfsburg, Germany, and gets an exclusive inside look on their new robotic arm tech, and their unique chairs built to quickly get human workers in and out of a car.
Volkswagen is known for its emphasis on quality and precision in its production processes, which is a key factor in the company’s success as a leading global automotive manufacturer.