Mass productio l and mass consumption, so far considered virtues in a free economic soceity, have changed. Various problems have occurred including economic stagnation, energy crisis, shortage of material resources, prolifera tion of pollution, lack of skilled labor, rapid changes of product design, technical innovation, and others. Moreover, individual manufacturing firms must take steps to adopt multi-product, small-lot-sized (batch type) produc tion as a type of production in order to adapt themselves to a market movement characterized by a diversified and specialty-oriented society and a...