Developing and implementing CIM systems for process manufacturers and distributors

The economic justification of the sequential adoption of a new manufacturing system

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the implementation of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM). Since many manufacturing organisations compete in international markets, a company strategy should be justified before making any major advanced technology-related investment decisions. The bottleneck for realising CIM systems in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is often the lack of inhouse knowledge about how to design a CIM system and how to implement the existing technological components to improve the manufacturing performance. It is necessary to develop a framework for the design and implementation of CIM in SMEs. The literature on the design and implementation of CIM is reviewed, a framework for the design and implementation of CIM in SMEs is developed, and a case study is conducted which involves collecting and analysing data from a small company * , Company A, to develop a practical framework for the implementation of CIM in SMEs.

This study provides an empirical analysis of some managerial factors which are critical to the successful planning and implementation of Computer-Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) systems. CIM is viewed as an integrated computer-based information technology applications and as a strategic tool which ties together different technologies, as well as various functional areas and managerial levels. Thus, enough emphasis must be placed on communicating the company-wide goals and strategies to various functional areas and employees, particularly with regard to the CIM implementation. In this study, a number of managerial factors will be identified and factor analysis will be used to examine the technological and managerial factors.

Network technology plays a vital role in integrating manufacturing facilities and controlling production information flows. A computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) system with different production characteristics, e.g., production throughput rate and the amount of process infonnation, should be facilitated with a network protocol that meets the individual CIM system's requirements. PEO-NET, a Production-Efficiency-Oriented Network Evaluation Tool, is developed in this paper which adopts network efficiency (Esys), an improved practical perfonnance evaluation index, as the decision criteria while determining the installation suitability of the tentative network protocol. In order to achieve greater portability and flexibility, PEO-NET is designed with three replaceable modules: 1) the CIM system configuration module for defining the configuration of a CIM system as well as its production requirements, 2) the industrial network protocol simulation module for predicting the production communication behavior under different network protocols, and 3) the network perfonnance analysis module for generating the network efficiency significance decision table. Simulations are also perfonned to demonstrate how PEO-NET is facilitated as a decision support tool for selecting a feasible network protocol for both job shop and flow shop production environment with two major LAN (Local Area Network) protocols: Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) and Token Passing Bus, respectively.

Developing computer integrated manufacturing: Major issues and problem areas

A small or local computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) system that makes products in a shorter time and with small inventory was implemented. With this experience, a local CIM software package was developed for OMRON factories, and there are now 21 local CIM systems in the OMRON group. The hardware and software of local CIM systems are described.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

The authors concentrate on integrating the data stored in various databases, i.e. the problems of data distribution and data actualization. A detailed discussion of a sample CIM (computer integrated manufacturing) application is given. This sample application shows that data distribution in CIM systems is necessary and that a synchronous update of replicated data is not always sufficient. A mechanism to describe the distribution of various data partitions and their relationship in the sense of the exchange of data modifications (data actualizations) is presented. Additionally, the sample application shows that CIM systems not only have to manage data but also the processes or programs which use the data. >

ESPRIT Project 595 was concerned with the application of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) to the heavy welded fabrication industry which typically manufactures products which are very large and required in small batch quantities, often only one off, e.g. ships, power stations, bridges, boilers, and offshore structures. The main objective of the project was to identify and validate CIM strategies that will enable European welded fabrication industries to restructure themselves and become competitive in world markets. This was approached by the formal analysis of industrial collaborators manufacturing systems using a recognized methodology and the subsequent synthesis of a generalized manufacturing system architecture for automated robotic welding and associated subsystems. The project work programme has followed the concept of top-down analysis matched to bottom-up implementation. The application of CIM lo welded fabrication has not been a simplistic acquisition of information technology su...

Incorporating CIM optimization in manufacturing management strategy

Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) provides a structured basis for establishing connectivity between sub-systems to facilitate product data delivery and control from the conceptual design stage through the many intermediate stages in producing the finished product. In this paper we focus on a CIM architecture applicable to electronics manufacturing for printed circuit boards based on studies completed by the authors under the sponsorship of the Northern Telecom University Interaction Program. Our presentation commences with the conceptual considerations of Computer Integrated Manufacturing and the special process characteristics of printed circuit board manufacture which must be considered in formulating the appropriate CIM architecture. We then address the system design issues and problems involved in implementing a viable CIM framework for integrating the many islands of automation in all areas of the manufacturing enterprise.

Strategic integrated manufacturing systems: the concept and structures

During the last decade (from the late 1970s to the beginning of the 1990s), manufacturing systems have significantly changed. Their function and performance have altered in a period of rapid development, mainly as a result of the application of the techniques of computer science. The new systems are termed either flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) or computer- integrated manufacturing (CIM). The advance of flexible manufacturing and its related technologies has been accompanied by a number of related developments, such as flexible manufacturing of a global network type, CIM incorporating personnel functions, skill-based manufacturing, and compact flexible manufacturing cells (FMC). These all have notable influences on the system configuration and operational technologies of flexible manufacturing: perhaps as a result, there is some confusion about their terminology. A number of differing nomenclatures are used (such as FMC, FMS, flexible or factory automation (FA), CIM and enterprise automation (EA), for the same fundamental technology.

This study investigates the relationships between computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) and high-performance work system (HPWS) that can arguably improve human capital in the firm and enhance the effectiveness of these advanced manufacturing technologies. Our data were drawn from two surveys of Taiwanese manufacturing establishments in 1998 and 2005. Results showed that high-degree CIM was positively associated with the practices of the each HR practice and HPWS, including high pay level, rigorous selection, extensive training, developmental performance management, performance- and competency- based rewards as well as employee stock ownership.

On the formal specification and verification of CIM architectures using LOTOS

The growth of the Japanese steel industry has been supported by three factors: operation, equipment, and management technology. Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) is the core of management technology. CIM's purpose is to improve production efficiency through computer integration of data covering the staff (design and production control) and management department as well as the production line process department (order entry, manufacturing, and shipment). In this paper, an overview of the Japanese steel industry's system development process is given and the steps taken in order to establish the CIM system are described. The organization, operation, and improvement of operational capability, along with marketing and production-related systems, are integrated. Furthermore, an integrated system model is given as a CIM conceptual model. In closing, reference is also made to the challenges facing CIM in the Japanese steel industry as well as future directions to be taken.