This book is divided into four sections: invited papers, principles, systems and techniques. The invited papers form an extensive overview of the state-of-the-art of production management. The themes range from the everlasting hunt for better productivity to the implications of CIM architectures (particularly CIM-OSA) for production management. The other three sections of the book look at the various problems affecting production management. One of the characteristics of modern production management is the need for better principles, systems and techniques for interorganizational production management. Another topic of crucial relevance is the necessity to master not only repetitive manufacturing but also one-of-a-kind product manufacturing. From the managerial point of view, the forecast-based make-to-stock principles have proven insufficient, with market forces demanding fast and reliable deliveries of customer-oriented products. The goals of production management have been re-evaluated as a result.