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The Origins of Efficiency by Brian Potter [Hardback]
US $42.24
ApproximatelyS$ 54.99
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Located in: Livingston, NJ, United States
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Estimated between Sat, 20 Dec and Fri, 2 Jan to 94104
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About this item
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
eBay item number:157441409462
Item specifics
- Condition
- Brand New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. See all condition definitionsopens in a new window or tab
- EAN
- 9781953953520
- UPC
- 9781953953520
- ISBN
- 9781953953520
- MPN
- N/A
- Country of Origin
- United States
- Item Height
- 3.1 cm
- Item Weight
- 0.68 kg
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Stripe Matter INC International Concepts
ISBN-10
1953953522
ISBN-13
9781953953520
eBay Product ID (ePID)
9068551767
Product Key Features
Book Title
Origins of Efficiency
Number of Pages
384 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2025
Topic
General, Manufacturing, Industries / Manufacturing
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Technology & Engineering, Business & Economics
Format
Hardcover
Dimensions
Item Length
9.2 in
Item Width
6.2 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2024-056078
Reviews
"Brilliant and comprehensive. Brian Potter is the single best writer in America on how important things get built, and his new book is the single best example of his work." --Derek Thompson, author of Hit Makers and coauthor of Abundance "This is unlike any other book I've read. It is a very high-level whole-systems overview of all known manufacturing processes (past and present), crammed with dense details, stories, anecdotes, and lessons from the front lines. Its grand/minute perspective is unusual--especially for production processes we usually never see. If you have any interest in, or responsibility for, how to make stuff at scale, you need to read this book." --Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired "Brian Potter does impeccable, detailed research that he turns into clairvoyant insight about civilization's most arcane processes. Here, he examines the mechanisms that enable spectacular efficiency in the production of goods and services. They comprise, he notes, 'the engine that powers human civilization.'" --Stewart Brand, cofounder and president of the Long Now Foundation and creator and editor of the Whole Earth Catalog, "Brilliant and comprehensive. Brian Potter is the single best writer in America on how important things get built, and his new book is the single best example of his work." --Derek Thompson, author of Hit Makers and coauthor of Abundance "This is unlike any other book I've read. It is a very high-level whole-systems overview of all known manufacturing processes (past and present), crammed with dense details, stories, anecdotes, and lessons from the front lines. Its grand/minute perspective is unusual--especially for production processes we usually never see. If you have any interest in, or responsibility for, how to make stuff at scale, you need to read this book." --Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired "Brian Potter does impeccable, detailed research that he turns into clairvoyant insight about civilization's most arcane processes. Here, he examines the mechanisms that enable spectacular efficiency in the production of goods and services. They comprise, he notes, 'the engine that powers human civilization.'" --Stewart Brand, cofounder and president of The Long Now Foundation and creator and editor of the Whole Earth Catalog "America has forgotten how to make things. Brian Potter is here to help us remember. By the time you finish this book, you'll feel like you're well on your way to becoming an expert in manufacturing." --Noah Smith, author of Noahpinion, "Brilliant and comprehensive. Brian Potter is the single best writer in America on how important things get built, and his new book is the single best example of his work." --Derek Thompson, author of Hit Makers and coauthor of Abundance "This is unlike any other book I've read. It is a very high-level whole-systems overview of all known manufacturing processes (past and present), crammed with dense details, stories, anecdotes, and lessons from the front lines. Its grand/minute perspective is unusual--especially for production processes we usually never see. If you have any interest in, or responsibility for, how to make stuff at scale, you need to read this book." --Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired "Brian Potter does impeccable, detailed research that he turns into clairvoyant insight about civilization's most arcane processes. Here, he examines the mechanisms that enable spectacular efficiency in the production of goods and services. They comprise, he notes, 'the engine that powers human civilization.'" --Stewart Brand, cofounder and president of The Long Now Foundation and creator and editor of the Whole Earth Catalog
TitleLeading
The
Table Of Content
Introduction Chapter 1: What Is a Production Process? Chapter 2: New Processes Chapter 3: Reducing Input Costs Chapter 4: Production Rate and Economies of Scale Chapter 5: Removing a Step Chapter 6: Variability, Knowledge, and Control Chapter 7: Learning Curves Chapter 8: Bundles, Chains, and Feedback Loops Chapter 9: Continuous Processes Chapter 10: Failures to Improve Conclusion: The Future of Production Acknowledgments Bibliography About the Author
Synopsis
An examination of how production processes--from penicillin to steel to semiconductors--get more efficient over time, and a powerful argument for efficiency as an underrated driver of progress. Efficiency is the engine that powers human civilization. It's the reason rates of famine have fallen precipitously, literacy has risen, and humans are living longer, healthier lives compared to preindustrial times. But where do improvements in production efficiency come from? In The Origins of Efficiency , Brian Potter argues that improving production efficiency--finding ways to produce goods and services in less time, with less labor, using fewer resources--is the force behind some of the biggest and most consequential changes in human history. With unprecedented depth and detail, Potter examines the fundamental characteristics of a production process and how it can be made less time- and resource-intensive, and therefore less expensive. The book is punctuated with examples of production efficiency in practice, including how high-yield manufacturing methods made penicillin the "miracle drug" that reduced battlefield infection deaths by 80 percent during World War II; the 100-year history of process improvements in incandescent light bulb production; and how automakers like Ford, Toyota, and Tesla developed innovative production methods that transformed not just the automotive industry but manufacturing as a whole. He concludes by looking at sectors where production costs haven't fallen, and explores how we might harness the mechanisms of production efficiency to change that. The Origins of Efficiency is a comprehensive companion for anyone seeking to understand how we arrived at this age of relative abundance--and how we can push efficiency improvements further into domains like housing, medicine, and education, where much work is left to be done. "Brian Potter is the single best writer in America on how important things get built, and his new book is the single best example of his work." --Derek Thompson, author of Hit Makers and coauthor of Abundance "By the time you finish this book, you'll feel like you're well on your way to becoming an expert in manufacturing." --Noah Smith, author of Noahpinion
LC Classification Number
T58.8.P68 2025
Item description from the seller
Seller business information
VAT number: DE 325825342
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- v***0 (377)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseItem arrived well packed and in good condition, alas it was over 1 month to get it, and seller offered no explanation. Item perfectly described and in good order, but extremely slow service.A New Voyage Round the World by William Dampier (#157174725019)
- e***e (602)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseLongest shipping time I've ever experienced. Bought 8/11, arrived 9/18. Responded to emails quickly and item arrived brand new as described. Didn't note the 20 day shipping window until after purchased, took even longer than that.Deadendia: The Divine Order: Volume 3 by Steele, Hamish (#157213924084)
- l***b (1699)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseExcellent item and good seller communication. Shipping time was good once it shipped, but it was a little bit of a wait before that happened. For the price I paid, the wait was worth it because it was everything expressed in the listing.Doctor Who: What Still Remains: 7th Doctor Audio Original [Audio] (#167709356094)
Seller feedback (8,252)
- v***0 (377)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseItem arrived well packed and in good condition, alas it was over 1 month to get it, and seller offered no explanation. Item perfectly described and in good order, but extremely slow service.A New Voyage Round the World by William Dampier (#157174725019)
- e***e (602)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseLongest shipping time I've ever experienced. Bought 8/11, arrived 9/18. Responded to emails quickly and item arrived brand new as described. Didn't note the 20 day shipping window until after purchased, took even longer than that.Deadendia: The Divine Order: Volume 3 by Steele, Hamish (#157213924084)
- l***b (1699)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseExcellent item and good seller communication. Shipping time was good once it shipped, but it was a little bit of a wait before that happened. For the price I paid, the wait was worth it because it was everything expressed in the listing.Doctor Who: What Still Remains: 7th Doctor Audio Original [Audio] (#167709356094)