COMPUTERS AND INDUSTRIAL-ORGANIZATION - EARLY SOURCES OF JUST-IN-TIMEPRODUCTION IN THE DUTCH STEEL-INDUSTRY

This article focuses on the growth of production planning in the Dutch Hoogovens Steel Company. In response to market changes in the 1950s, production facilities and capacity were enormously expanded, and a dec entralized just-in-time system of production planning was developed. P unched-card machines were introduced to process the necessary data. In spite of these efforts a control crisis emerged in the company, resul ting in large order backlogs and long delivery times. In response, pro duction planning was centralized and digital computers introduced. Thi s article will demonstrate that the choice of computing technologies w as intimately related to the organization of production planning. Alth ough the introduction of just-in-time systems is normally considered a consequence of the evolution of computing technology, in this case su ch a system appears to have contributed to the demand for digital comp uters. The question that will be posed is, to what extent do these vie ws corroborate those expressed in James Beniger's book The Control Rev olution?