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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000000307680 | T59.5 L36 1985 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
Two central ideas in the movement toward advanced automation systems are the office-of-the-future (or office automation system), and the factory of-the-future (or factory automation system). An office automation system is an integrated system with diversified office equipment, communication devices, intelligent terminals, intelligent copiers, etc., for providing information management and control in a dis tributed office environment. A factory automation system is also an inte grated system with programmable machine tools, robots, and other pro cess equipment such as new "peripherals," for providing manufacturing information management and control. Such advanced automation systems can be regarded as the response to the demand for greater variety, greater flexibility, customized designs, rapid response, and 'Just-in-time" delivery of office services or manufac tured goods. The economy of scope, which allows the production of a vari ety of similar products in random order, gradually replaces the economy of scale derived from overall volume of operations. In other words, we are gradually switching from the production of large volumes of standard products to systems for the production of a wide variety of similar products in small batches. This is the phenomenon of "demassification" of the marketplace, as described by Alvin Toffier in The Third Wave.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
An anthology of research papers on topics that could broadly be classified into two major areas: office automation systems and factory automation systems. Office automation consists in providing information management and control in a distributed office environment; factory automation, on the other hand, is an integrated system of programmable machine tools, robots, and other data acquisition and control equipment that provide for the management and control of factories. The 25 papers are grouped into six parts-Office Automation, Query Languages, Data Management, Communication Management, Robotics and the CAD/CAM Languages, and Management Automation. Most of these papers were presented earlier in IEEE workshops. There are a number of references for further reading, and there is a good index. This volume could be very profitably used by practitioners as well as by college students interested in the state of the art in these emerging disciplines.-S. Lakshmivarahan, University of Oklahoma
