Automotive production systems and standardisation : from Ford to the case of Mercedes Benz The introduction of the Mercedes Benz Production System (MPS) is exemplary of a trend within the automotive industry: the creation and introduction of company specific standardised production systems. This book contributes to the debate about production systems by examining the social and economic implications of the role of standardisation in production systems. In this context it addresses three core issues: First the driving forces behind the changing forms and functions of standardisation and the role of institutions therein. Second the impact of standardisation on the evolution of automotive production systems. Third based on the authors own empirical research conducted over a three year period at the Mercedes Benz plant Stuttgart Untertürkheim Germany the book examines the influence of standardisation on the work of actors on the shop floor in terms of organisational learning processes and the regulation of work. TOC:Introduction. The evolution of standardisation. The history of production systems in the automotive industry. The case of the Mercedes Benz Production System. The results of implementing the Mercedes Benz Production System. Conclusion