National Press Release

DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Manufacturing is suffering because America has lost its focus on manufacturing and our belief in the factory life," says industry analyst James E. Harbour in his new autobiography, "Factory Man" available today and published by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.

Recognized worldwide as a leading automotive industry analyst and founder of The Harbour Report, a study of OEM's manufacturing performance, Harbour has co-authored this factual, non-technical book with James V. Higgins, an award-winning automotive reporter, columnist and editor who covered the industry for most of his career at The Detroit News.

"Factory Man" presents the insights of an automotive "insider" who became one of the industry's main critics. The book is a brutally honest assessment of what was wrong with U.S. automakers from the 1950s into the early 21st century. Harbour's views are as relevant to the auto industry today, as they were in 1981, when he issued his first Harbour Report.

His work experience while at Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Corp. mainly in manufacturing, takes readers on a personal trip leading to his landmark discovery and evaluation of the Toyota Production System. That study helped persuade the Big Three that massive changes in their production systems were necessary in being more competitive with Japanese car companies.

In "Factory Man," Harbour also details the ramifications of fuel economy standards, trade and energy policies, and service and financial institutions being able to maintain our standard of living. He says we seem to think that by shifting low-cost manufacturing overseas we would better be able to focus on innovation and other futuristic pursuits. Financial institutions are not the creators of wealth but rather the consequence of it. Historically, if industrial development is lost, we can expect financial institutions to follow trade to the countries more successful than we are, writes Harbour.

"You can make things in a factory. That's where Detroit comes in and that's what America needs right now - a good jolt of the power of the factory," says Harbour, "allowing America's manufacturing industry to create wealth and put money in people's pockets."

Book Purchase: To purchase a copy of "Factory Man," available February 2009, visit www.sme.org/factoryman.

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SOURCE Society of Manufacturing Engineers