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Reviews the opinions of Bob Barker of the UK’s Hanson Electrical about the state of British manufacturing, and asserts that companies need to be aligned in support of the value chain; maintains that “push” systems are still in place, and finds that manufacturing is isolated from information flow, management accounting and human resources. Tabulates four stages in the development of the needed, adaptive, learning mindset, and details the organizational characteristics of each stage. Concludes there needs to be a revolutionary change in thinking, and suggests how British industry can unlock value‐adding capability.

British and American manufacturers continue the struggle to remain competitive, yet there remains a vast amount of unused energy and potential trapped by the inadequate organization of resources. Using a time‐based strategy, the value‐adding capability of the organization can be measured and constraints identified. This time‐based framework can guide investments and improvement actions whilst retaining links to an overall quick response/improved customer service strategy. A method of reducing throughput time has been developed, which separates non‐value – and value‐adding operations. Results from the electrical switchgear industry show that, when throughput time is reduced, stock of materials, labour efficiency, production planning and customer service can all be improved to reduce total costs.

The competitive pressures being placed on Western manufacturing organizations require new restructuring models, which take account of value‐adding capability and guide investment. Time‐based manufacturing strategies offer a framework to develop the total input/output chain in isolation of selling price. This method can be used successfully in batch‐manufacturing companies to reduce throughput time and conversion cost – the method is non‐capital‐intensive and involves total company and people commitment. Discusses a case study and results from implementation in a JIT environment in the electrical switchgear industry. Further research is required to link throughput time reduction with total factory cost and investment justification.

Whilst many papers focus upon development strategies and results of positive change, few report company failure or the characteristics of organisations that are failing to identify the untapped potential within their manufacturing systems. Successful change is arguably dependent upon the management mindset, vision, and a knowledge of best practice. The availability of proven concepts such as lean manufacturing and just‐in‐time techniques are however of little use if management and indeed all employees fail to embrace even a basic understanding of their impact and cannot direct or manage the change process. This paper discusses the factors that have been found repetitively to affect change towards best practice and act as a barrier to development. With findings gathered from 13 companies this paper is intended to be of assistance to industrial managers attempting to restructure their organisations. To maintain autonomy no company names or products are reported, but the visible and recurring key negative traits that have been observed by the writer are discussed.

This paper argues that manufacturing system effectiveness has been severely weakened by the inefficient use of human intellectual energy and that traditional measures of human inputs are simplistic and fail to identify vital contributions to developing value adding capability. Directing and maintaining intellectual energy while attempting a restructuring or re‐engineering programme is seen as a typically difficult example of this much overlooked area. In particular, levels of physical activity must not be confused with intellectual output or the much needed mindset changes. Observations and outcomes from five UK manufacturing companies are used to expand the views presented by the author.

Argues that all manufacturing organizations contain the same basic elements needed to be world class, but some perform much better than others through attention to integration and closer synchronization of value‐adding activity. Considers the evidence that throughput time reduction in the material conversion chain has been most successful when restructuring a company. Managers and all employees, however, need to develop a new mindset which can focus on the manufacturing system constructs that effectively link the value chain. Gives case history results to expand on the problems encountered in developing the value‐adding capability of organizations.

Studies the introduction of individualised employment relations at the Bengalla Open Cut mining operation in the Hunter Valley coalfields of New South Wales, Australia. Describes and explains the “greenfield” strategy of the managing owner of the mine, the US multinational, the Peabody Group, and the reaction and counter‐strategy of the miners’ union, the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU). Argues that management’s greenfield strategy has provided some immediate benefits to the employer and rendered the CFMEU almost powerless to develop a delegate structure at the mine and bargain collectively with management. Yet the peculiar type of individualism, its justification and the CFMEU’s efforts to maintain a presence at the mine indicate that individualised employment relations may only be a transient phenomenon at the Bengalla mine.

The issues discussed in this article will be familiar to everyone struggling to deinstitutionalise sheltered workshops. The solutions being developed — social firms, supported employment — are also well known. But can they flourish in the very special situation of the new Hong Kong? Now part of the People's Republic of China, the former colony is still sitting between East and West, capitalism and communism, and is also in the throes of a very sharp recession. Lindsay Barker, Stephen Cheung and Petrus Ng tell the story so far and then look at what the future might hold for this fledgling revolution. Bob Grove