The authors assemble more than 100 experts, whose ideas were distilled into a simple, easy-to-read story that provides an expansive view of manufacturing.

Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Networked Manufacturing Enterprises Management addresses prominent concepts and applications of AI technologies in the management of networked manufacturing enterprises. The aim of this book is to align latest practices, innovation and case studies with academic frameworks and theories, where AI techniques are used efficiently for networked manufacturing enterprises. More specifically, it includes the latest research results and projects at different levels addressing quick-response system, theoretical performance analysis, performance and capability demonstration. The role of emerging AI technologies in the modelling, evaluation and optimisation of networked enterprises’ activities at different decision levels is also covered. Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Networked Manufacturing Enterprises Management is a valuable guide for postgraduates and researchers in industrial engineering, computer science, automation and operations research.

Presents information about the plant, covering its history, lore, and medicinal uses; instructions on how to best plant, harvest, and cook it; and several recipes for soups and stews.

In today’s world of manufacturing, it’s possible to be efficient but not profitable. How is this possible? While today’s manufacturing process control is real time, enterprise management remains transactional, and accounting systems remain structured for early 1800s piecework. Why are almost all of the productivity gains in manufacturing arising from better automation and control of processes (continuous, batch, hybrid, or discrete) and not from better chemistry, design, management, or financial controls? This book shows you exactly why this has happened and just how to fix it. The author details how automation and control can be applied to the supply chain, the enterprise, and to financial management. Inside, you’ll learn: • How to use the principles of real-time process control to better manage, measure, and control manufacturing businesses, both horizontally and vertically; • How to achieve much greater speed of information transfer for improved control over supply chain and distribution; and • How totally integrated inventory control, automated manufacturing, automated customer service, and smart pricing control ultimately lead to higher profits.

“An informative and inspiring guide to collecting and growing plants at home.” —Gardenista “This book is a must-have!” —Hilton Carter, author of Wild at Home, Wild Interiors, and Wild Creations Secrets of the Houseplant Hunters Terrain’s plant experts travel the world in search of the most unusual and interesting houseplants. In this inspiring and practical guide, they share their favorite specimens: exotic and eclectic ferns, like the skeleton fork, a primitive (and unfussy) predecessor to the family; new aroids to feed that monstera obsession; and adventurous trailing plants like dischidia, which is found cascading from tree branches in its native Thailand; plus succulents and cacti, indoor trees, the best low-care plants, and “rule breakers” like bamboo muhly grass that can make an unexpected move indoors. Along the way, Terrain introduces their favorite independent growers—passionate plant lovers who are creating new hybrids and bringing back old-school specimens to the market. And readers learn ​Terrain’s way of styling and overarching philosophy on care: the most important thing we can give our plants is our presence.

This book presents cutting-edge emerging technologies and approaches in the areas of service-oriented architectures, intelligent devices and cloud-based cyber-physical systems. It provides a clear view on their applicability to the management and automation of manufacturing and process industries. It offers a holistic view of future industrial cyber-physical systems and their industrial usage and also depicts technologies and architectures as well as a migration approach and engineering tools based on these. By providing a careful balance between the theory and the practical aspects, this book has been authored by several experts from academia and industry, thereby offering a valuable understanding of the vision, the domain, the processes and the results of the research. It has several illustrations and tables to clearly exemplify the concepts and results examined in the text and these are supported by four real-life case-studies. We are witnessing rapid advances in the industrial automation, mainly driven by business needs towards agility and supported by new disruptive advances both on the software and hardware side, as well as the cross-fertilization of concepts and the amalgamation of information and communication technology-driven approaches in traditional industrial automation and control systems. This book is intended for technology managers, application designers, solution developers, engineers working in industry, as well as researchers, undergraduate and graduate students of industrial automation, industrial informatics and production engineering.

"The Shape of Things to Come" is a rallying cry for companies to rethink and reevaluate previous business assumptions. Oliver identifies seven strategic imperatives that companies must adopt now in order to compete in this new business reality.