The globalization of manufacturing is a key development in most industries over the last decade. New technologies like e-commerce, genetic algorithms, and neural networks have to be adapted to the manufacturing environment. This book deals with methods and tools suitable for designing, managing and controlling processes within the supply chain. Virtual enterprise and extended enterprise are the terms which describe the challenges for global production management. The implementation of global production management requires integration of business processes, technical and organizational aspects. The main topics of the papers selected for this book are therefore: strategic manufacturing issues and design of virtual enterprises; supply chain management; performance measurement and management information; business process engineering; modelling and simulation; advanced scheduling approaches and decision support; and IT systems to support global production. The book contains case studies as well as reports on research findings. The papers represent a summary of current issues, presented at the International Conference on Advances in Production Management Systems (APMS) in September 1999, sponsored by the International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP) and organized by the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology (IPK), Berlin. The authors are leading experts within the international community in the field of production management. Global Production Management is suitable as a reference for researchers and practitioners in global manufacturing, supply chain management, logistics and IT services, and consultants. It can also be used as further reading for advanced courses on management and manufacturing.