The purpose of the paper is to present the author’s reflections on the origin and popularity
of various approaches to maintenance and improvement of production processes, their
terminological consistency, understanding, and practical application of their principles. The
author’s reflections are based on his observations made over his many years of activity as
a lecturer and consultant in the area of production engineering and management. It was
shown that there is a need to make scientists and practitioners aware of the relatively large
degree of freedom in defining the scope and way of application of strategies of continuous
improvement. The author’s proposal is to refer to all approaches to maintenance and improvement
of production processes with the title “Strategies of Efficient Action” and all
supporting methods as “Practices of Efficient Action”.
Considerations presented in the paper can be useful in more and more efficiently applying
the power of TQM, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and other strategies of processes
maintenance and improvement in the daily activities of companies.
The goal of this paper is to present the author’s thoughts on the possible contribution of
quality engineering to sustainable development. It is indicated that in the product life cycle
designers have the greatest potential to support this challenge. Arguments have been presented to abandon the commonly accepted paradigm, according to which the overriding goal
of the designer is to achieve the highest market value possible measured by the prospected
level of demand for the products designed. It is postulated to include the minimization of
the risks brought to the natural environment and social relations as a criterion of product
design quality. To this goal, it is necessary for designers to pursue both environmentally
friendly materials and technologies and design concepts reducing consumers’ pressure on
continuously increasing demand. Such an approach will allow for more effective control of
consumption, the main cause of the negative effects of economic growth.
The article presents tools, methods and systems used in mechanical engineering that in
combination with information technologies create the grounds of Industry 4.0. The authors
emphasize that mechanical engineering has always been the foundation of industrial activity,
while information technology, the essential part of Industry 4.0, is its main source of innovation.
The article discusses issues concerning product design, machining tools, machine tools
and measurement systems.