Interview with the author
In this interview you can find out more about what the second book "Excellence in Operations Management - Homo Faber: Do it Better" is about and how I came to write it. The interview was held by the University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU). As the original interview is in German, you can read the translation in English below.

Excellence in Operations


To whom is your book addressed?

To all those who belong to the Homo Faber species, the “makers”. Any Bachelor or Master student interested in Industrial Engineering may find it useful, particularly if writing their thesis for a company requesting a process reengineering approach. Here they can learn the methods and the tools useful to run such a project.

However, the targeted audience are new managers and young entrepreneurs, who already understand the basics of Operations and want to push their companies towards excellence.

 

People say that today a book can be written just by using ChatGPT. Why didn’t you take this “modern” shortcut?

This is my second book: it builds on the previous one “Operations Management – Homo Faber at Work”. There I introduced the readers to the basics of Operations in industrial companies: Production, Logistics, Purchasing and Quality. Here, I show them how any company process (even beyond Operations) can be successfully reengineered, with the target of excellence in mind.

Both are pragmatic manuals, based on my own experience on the job and full of real-life examples. I honestly doubt that using ChatGPT I would have reached the same result, speaking of value for readers.

 

Are there special messages that you want to give us with this book?

Yes, two messages are dear to me:

First: even after more than forty years since systematic improvement methods were introduced in the business world, many companies still do not use them. Others use them without the needed consistency. Some used them but forgot these methods after a while. However, without continuous efforts to improve, a company is doomed to die. This book may be a refresher and help avoid that.
Second: speaking of continuous improvement or lean management, all think immediately of improvements in a factory and its production processes. There is relatively easy: one sees the products, workers, and machines. However, this must be done in all functions within a company, even in offices, where the business processes are not so easy to see and grasp. It is important for all managers and employees to see the “waste” in business processes and use the right tools to chase and reduce it. They must realise that improving processes is a must in Operations, but also in all other functions of an Industrial company, and even in Service companies.


What will you do now?

I am already working on a third book, departing from the topic of Operations management. It will be about the planning and execution of post-merger integration projects, and based on the second pillar of my business career: Corporate development and M&A. Another pragmatic manual to help managers to “do it better” in projects that too often fail to reap the expected results.


Interview held at University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) in June, 2023

Read the original interview

Book Details

Excellence in Operations - Homo Faber: Do it Better

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© Fabio Mercandetti, 2023

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