What do prosperous job shops in the heart of Switzerland look like? How do Swiss machine tool builders cope with the high cost of manufacturing in their country? Why is lean manufacturing being embraced by Swiss companies that already enjoy a reputation for efficiency and precision?

Answers to these questions, along with many other interesting observations about manufacturing in Switzerland, can be found in "Lean Manufacturing, Swiss Style," an MMS Online Exclusive. The article profiles eight companies in the metalworking industry. The list includes two very distinctive job shops (C-mill Technologie AG and Fribosa), two builders of grinding machines (Studer and Magerle), a manufacturer of machine tool spindles (Step-Tee), a builder of high-performance machining centers (Mikron), a builder of electrical discharge machines (Charmilles) and a manufacturer of collets and toolholders (Rego-Fix). For a link to the complete article, visit www.mmsonline. com/articles/060604.html