By focusing on certain basic improvements, companies can achieve major gains in productivity and profits. All manufacturing companies have a production planning system, whether on a white board, pieces of paper, etched in someone's brain or even computerised. Typically, manufacturing is run by 'What crisis needs fixed'. It's not much of a system, but it is a system. Planners look ahead a few days, set the available material aside, write up shortage lists, and purchasing gets material in, prices be damned.
Every day is a drama, with heroes and firemen and detectives each playing their role.
Finger pointing abounds, tempers flares, but somehow gets out the door. Let's not fool ourselves. You can easily achieve the following with very basic changes to operations, and trying a few disciplines that I have seen work.