IN ORDER TO STIMULATE AND FACILITATE THE TRANSFER OF NEW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CONCEPTS TO THE ENGINEERING INDUSTRIES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY , AND PROPERLY TO SUPPORT , UTILIZE AND DEMONSTRATE THE PROPOSED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES , IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT AS PART OF THE ESPRIT PROGRAMME AS DEMONSTRATORS THREE OR MORE ADVANCED CIM SYSTEMS SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED WITHIN DESIGNATED CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE . SUCH SYSTEMS WOULD PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT FOCUS FOR THE COORDINATION OF EFFORT AND THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION AMONG THE VARIOUS AND SOMETIMES DISPARATE PARTS OF THE CIM R AND D PROGRAMME .
R AND D AREA 5.1 : INTEGRATED SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
INTRODUCTION
THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO DEFINE STANDARD ARCHITECTURES , AND THE MARKET STRENGTH NECESSARY TO GAIN ACCEPTANCE OF SUCH ARCHITECTURES ARE BEYOND THE REACH OF ALL BUT THE LARGEST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL ORGANISATIONS . HOWEVER THE DESIRABILITY OF DEVELOPING A REFERENCE MODEL , WHICH WOULD ALLOW USERS TO DEVELOP MULTIVENDOR CIM SYSTEMS , AND WHICH WOULD AVOID EXCLUSIVE MARKET DOMINATION BY AMERICAN AND JAPANESE DE FACTO STANDARDS AND FRAMEWORKS IS READILY APPARENT . THIS IS AN AREA WHERE THE POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES THROUGH A UNIFIED APPROACH ARE HIGH , AND IT IS THEREFORE PARTICULARLY SUITABLE FOR EFFORT ON A COMMUNITY SCALE .
DESCRIPTION
IN THE NEXT DECADE , ONE CAN EXPECT THAT A WIDE VARIETY OF CIM SYSTEMS WILL BE IMPLEMENTED WITHIN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY . TO BE EFFECTIVE , EACH SYSTEM MUST SERVE ITS SPECIFIC APPLICATION IN AN OPTIMUM MANNER . IN ORDER TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE AND TO PRESERVE FLEXIBILITY , EFFECTIVE DESIGN METHODS FOR CIM MUST BE DEVELOPED SO THAT NEW TECHNOLOGIES CAN BE EXPLOITED AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE . AT PRESENT , THERE ARE SOME GUIDELINES BUT NO INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AVAILABLE FOR THE DESIGN OF SYSTEM ARCHITECTURES FOR CIM .
NEW AND INNOVATIVE CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES ARE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO FIT APPROPRIATE SYSTEM ARCHITECTURES TO THE TOTAL MANUFACTURING PROCESS FROM INITIAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT , PRODUCT DESIGN , PRODUCTION PLANNING AND CONTROL , REAL TIME CONTROL OF PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT , MATERIALS HANDLING , THROUGH TO INVENTORY CONTROL AND SALES . TO SUPPORT THE TOTAL SYSTEMS APPROACH , IT IS NECESSARY TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES FOR DATA , COMMUNICATIONS , AND PROCESSING , WHICH ADDRESS BOTH PHYSICAL AND LOGICAL REQUIREMENTS .
TO ENCOURAGE THE WIDER USE OF CIM SYSTEMS BY REDUCING THE RISK OF FAILURE , METHODS SHOULD BE DEVELOPED TO ALLOW THE REPRESENTATION , SPECIFICATION AND TESTING OF PROPOSED SYSTEMS PRIOR TO INSTALLATION .
THE OVERALL APPROACH COVERS :
- IMPACT OF CIM SYSTEM ON STRATEGY AND ORGANISATION OF THE COMPANY
- ARCHITECTURES
- ELEMENTS SUPPORTING THE ARCHITECTURES
5.1.1 AND 5.1.2 , SYSTEM ARCHITECTURES FOR CIM ( 1 )
DESCRIPTION
PRELIMINARY WORK HAS ALREADY BEEN CARRIED OUT IN SEVERAL PILOT PROJECTS ON " DESIGN RULES FOR CIM " , AND IS NEARING COMPLETION . EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN THAT A MAJOR DIFFICULTY IN THIS AREA IS THAT OF COMBINING TECHNICAL PROGRESS WITH A WIDE DEGREE OF CONCENSUS FOR THE EVENTUAL RESULTS . IN ORDER TO TRY AND