{"product_id":"the-origins-of-efficiency-by-brian-potter-9781953953520","title":"The Origins of Efficiency","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA step-by-step examination of how production processes\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003efrom penicillin and automobiles to steel and semiconductors\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eget more efficient over time, and why it matters for unlocking a new era of abundance.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEfficiency is the engine that powers human civilisation. 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?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Origins of Efficiency\u003c\/i\u003e, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Origins of Efficiency\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47288959205612,"sku":"9781953953520","price":69.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/19002633482883.jpg?v=1770582923","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/the-origins-of-efficiency-by-brian-potter-9781953953520","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}