Productivity can be said to have improved when more output is achieved for the same input or when the same output is achieved for the less input. To improve productivity, either the process itself, the equipment and machinery used, the workforce or the indirect processes affecting production must be addressed. Productivity improvement techniques can be applied effectively in enterprises of any size, from one-person companies to corporations with thousands of staff. The majority of the techniques were first seen in mass-production operations but the benefits they can yield in SMEs is not to be underestimated. Indeed, the absence in SMEs of many of the rigidities commonly found in large companies make it easier for them to reap the benefits of productivity improvement techniques.