Agile manufacturing is defined as the capability of surviving and prospering in a competitive environment of continuous and unpredictable change by reacting quickly and effectively to changing markets, driven by customer-designed products and services. Critical to successfully accomplishing AM are a few enabling technologies such as the standard for the exchange of products (STEP), concurrent engineering, virtual manufacturing, component-based hierarchical shop floor control system, information and communication infrastructure, etc.The scope of the book is to present the undergraduate and graduate students, senior managers and researchers in manufacturing systems design and management, industrial engineering and information technology with the conceptual and theoretical basis for the design and implementation of AMS. Also, the book focuses on broad policy directives and plans of agile manufacturing that guide the monitoring and evaluating the manufacturing strategies and their performance. A problem solving approach is taken throughout the book, emphasizing the context of agile manufacturing and the complexities to be addressed.

This work defines "Agile Manufacturing" and dispels the mistaken beliefs that surround it. It analyzes how our traditions, conventions, values and beliefs, based on outdated ideas and philosophies, block the path to achieving "Agile Manufacturing". The book then maps the way forward.

Agility has become very important for the industries today as the lifetimes of the products are continuously shrinking. This book provides an excellent opportunity for updating understanding of agile methods from the design, manufacturing and business process perspectives, whether one is an industrial practitioner, academic researcher engineer or business graduate student. This volume is a compilation of various important aspects of agility consisting of systemic considerations in manufacturing, agile software systems, agile business systems, agile operations research, flexible manufacturing systems, advanced manufacturing systems with improved materials and mechanical behavior of products, agile aspects of design, clean and green manufacturing systems, environment, agile defence systems.

Today the Scottish electronics industry employs 40,000 people directly and a further 30,000 in the supply infrastructure. There are now more than 550 electronic manufacturing and supplier companies in ' Silicon Glen'. In terms of the contribution to the economy, electronics is by far the most valuable industry. Its value in 1996 was approximately £ 10billion and accounted for more than half of Scotland's exports. The major product groupings within the industry include: • PCs, laptops and workstations • Disk drives, cable harnessing • Printers, keyboards and peripherals • Semiconductor devices and PCBs • TV, VCRs, CDs, stereos and other consumer electronics • Cellular phones and telecommunications products • A TMs and funds transfer systems • Networking and security systems • Navigation and sonar systems • Microwave products • Power supplies • Software and compilers Many of these companies are multi-national OEMs, who came to Scotland as inward investing companies. Early inward investing companies were from USA, followed by companies from Japan, and more recently from Taiwan and Korea. An important segment of the industry is involved in the manufacture of computers, including IBM, Compaq, Digital and Sun. In fact approximately 40% of the PCs sold in Europe are built in Scotland. With five of the world's top eight computer manufacturers locating a manufacturing base in Scotland there has been an attraction for foreign companies keen to provide service for these multinationals. In 1995/96 the supply base output was worth £1.

Traditional manufacturing systems rely upon centralized, hierarchical systems that are not responsive enough to the increasing demand for mass customization. Decentralized, or heterarchical, management systems using autonomous agents promise to nullify the limitations of previous solutions. Agent-Based Manufacturing and Control Systems: New

Unrivaled coverage of a broad spectrum of industrial engineering concepts and applications The Handbook of Industrial Engineering, Third Edition contains a vast array of timely and useful methodologies for achieving increased productivity, quality, and competitiveness and improving the quality of working life in manufacturing and service industries. This astoundingly comprehensive resource also provides a cohesive structure to the discipline of industrial engineering with four major classifications: technology; performance improvement management; management, planning, and design control; and decision-making methods. Completely updated and expanded to reflect nearly a decade of important developments in the field, this Third Edition features a wealth of new information on project management, supply-chain management and logistics, and systems related to service industries. Other important features of this essential reference include: * More than 1,000 helpful tables, graphs, figures, and formulas * Step-by-step descriptions of hundreds of problem-solving methodologies * Hundreds of clear, easy-to-follow application examples * Contributions from 176 accomplished international professionals with diverse training and affiliations * More than 4,000 citations for further reading The Handbook of Industrial Engineering, Third Edition is an immensely useful one-stop resource for industrial engineers and technical support personnel in corporations of any size; continuous process and discrete part manufacturing industries; and all types of service industries, from healthcare to hospitality, from retailing to finance. Of related interest . . . HANDBOOK OF HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS, Second Edition Edited by Gavriel Salvendy (0-471-11690-4) 2,165 pages 60 chapters "A comprehensive guide that contains practical knowledge and technical background on virtually all aspects of physical, cognitive, and social ergonomics. As such, it can be a valuable source of information for any individual or organization committed to providing competitive, high-quality products and safe, productive work environments."-John F. Smith Jr., Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President, General Motors Corporation (From the Foreword)

This is Volume 1 of a report addressing the future of American industry. It has been written in response to the transformation of manufacturing practices that is currently in progress. Volume 1 of a two-volume report on the global competitive environment U.S. manufacturing will face, and the infrastructure it will require, in order to compete as it moves over the next 15 years into the 21st century. The developments described in the report present a unique opportunity to capitalize on distinctive U.S. strengths; failure to seize this opportunity will put the standard of living of the American people at profound risk.