Today’s production companies in high-wage countries are faced by an increasing number of challenges. The need for product differentiation and the reduction of carbon emissions as well as the growing dynamic environment conditions and cost pressure form only a small excerpt of these challenges. In order to succeed in the competition for attractive orders, the manufacturing industry has to create a knowledge advantage to preserve international competitiveness. This competition has become increasingly technology based. Excellent products from high wage countries can only be manufactured at economical prices with the support of well deliberated, up-to-date and innovative management structures combined with efficient and highly productive tools.

For this purpose a selection of papers published throughout the previous year examining future trends in the area of innovation and technology management, supply chain management and global production, production systems and production management, information management, service management, as well as tool manufacturing is disclosed in this book. These papers examine topics which have been identified as future large-scale and long-term drivers of change.