Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Volume 1: Revolution in Progress

This summary volume is the first in a four-volume set reporting a four-year IIASA study on computer integrated manufacturing (CIM). The IIASA study has attempted to define the existing world situation with regard to the underlying technologies of CIM, and the degree to which such technologies as NC/CNC machine tools, robotics, and CAD/CAM are currently being used in metal products manufacturing. The methodology adopted in the study is eclectic. It is multiperspective and multidisciplinary as well as multinational. It incorporates both "bottom-up" and "top-down" approaches. Historical analysis and model forecasts of the future, together with scenario analyses, also feature. The study provides perhaps the first truly international comparison of manufacturing technology and manufacturing management.