New Books in Science, Technology, and Society

Tim Minshall, "How Things Are Made: A Journey Through the Hidden World of Manufacturing" (Ecco, 2025)

May 25, 2025

In this insightful discussion, Tim Minshall, a Cambridge University Professor and Director of the Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing, unravels the hidden world of manufacturing. He explores the intricacies of product creation, the impact of technology like AI and robotics on manufacturing, and the significant role of sustainable practices. Minshall also tackles challenges in reviving U.S. manufacturing, the importance of skilled labor, and how innovations like 3D printing are reshaping industries. This conversation sparks curiosity about the origins of everyday products and their environmental implications.

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INSIGHT

Manufacturing Underpins Everything

Every physical item in our lives has a detailed manufacturing story behind it.
This understanding fosters respect for manufacturing and its critical role in our economy.

ANECDOTE

Toilet Paper's Complex Story

A simple sheet of toilet paper is the result of a complex, global manufacturing process over decades.
This example reveals hidden resource use and supply chain complexity behind everyday products.

INSIGHT

Tariff Uncertainty Disrupts Planning

Trade tariffs create uncertainty that complicates supply chain planning.
Businesses need certainty on trade policies to make smart investment decisions.

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This book from Cambridge University Professor Tim Minshall provides an enlightening view of how the world of manufacturing world has an immense influence on our lives. We all reside in a world of multiple manufactured products, which include our clothing, food, furniture, electronics, automobiles, and so many other products upon which we rely, including commercial aviation, pharmeceuticals, baked good, and medical devices.

Nonetheless, the processes by which these items are made and enter our lives are nearly unknown to us. How often do we think about from where these items come, how they are made, and how they come into our lives?

Professor Minshall delivers answers in How Things Are Made: A Journey Through the Hidden World of Manufacturing (Ecco, 2025). The book traces the amazing paths that everyday products take to enter our lives, showing how products are designed, delivered, and assembled in small shops and giant factories throughout the work. The book depicts the role that global shipping hubs plays as well as the role that home delivery is playing in providing us with the products we want and upon which we depend. The book also delves into the important question of how we can improve the resiliency of the global manufacturing system. What makes the book special is that Professor Minshall pays substantial attention to the impacts of global manufacturing on nature and on how we can move to a more sustainable future.

Brimming with vitality and sparkling examples, this book depicts the grand system of global of manufacturing that allows us to have all the products we need for virtually every aspect of our existence. By making sense of this astonishing and largely concealed world, Professor Minshall is enabling us to make better choices for ourselves, our communities, and the planet.

Alfred Marcus is Edson Spencer Professor Chair of Strategy and Technology Leadership at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota.

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