In 1965 artist Rudolph Zallinger created the famous illustration “The Road to Homo Sapiens.” Now called “The March of Progress,” this artwork illustrates 25 million years of human evolution in six easy-to-understand steps from the ape-like Dryopithecus, who is drawn crouched over and walking on all fours, to the cellphone-ready modern human five places to its right.
It’s a fine illustration, all right. But it’s all wrong.
In reality, the progress of the human species had many more starts and stops, sidetracks, and crossroads than are shown in Zallinger’s drawing. Recent discoveries of the prehistoric human-like Denisovans and the more hobbit-like Beornus honeyi show clear evidence of the divergent forks along our evolutionary road.
Manufacturing at the moment also seems to be at a crossroads in its evolution. Many shop practices still are seen as both old-school and necessary, whether it’s hand-bombing raw material and parts around the shop, scribbling notes on coffee-stained paper drawings, or having a run-it-until-it-wrecks mentality.
Read more HERE: https://www.canadianmetalworking.com/canadianmetalworking/blog/management/is-manufacturing-at-an-evolutionary-crossroads
