Computer-integrated Manufacturing Technologies Research Articles

Selection of Computer-integrated Manufacturing Technologies Using a Combined Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy TOPSIS

Selection of Computer-integrated Manufacturing Technologies Using a Combined Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy TOPSIS

I-DEMATEL method for integrated manufacturing technology selection

Purpose – Computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) refers the manufacturing concept based on the use of computers to control and exchange information for the entire production process. As a result, manufacturing can be faster and less error-prone. However, managing and implementing technologies in the CIM environment are challenging processes for managements and manufacturing organizations. These processes become complex and tedious when one is dealing with many decision parameters. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This study reports an Interval Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (i-DEMATEL) method for evaluating and selecting the CIM technologies that takes into account management objectives. This method can relieve the limitation of the relationship matrix about the assumption of the symmetrical relationship. As a result, it can solve complicated relationship structure problems. Findings – Based on a survey on the current technologies in manufacturing institutes, a case study is demonstrated to present the application of the model. The i-DEMATEL approach takes into account all decision parameters for evaluating and implementing CIM technologies and shows CNC/DNC technology is the most suitable for this case study. Originality/value – The proposed method mitigates the shortcomings of non-fuzzy and fuzzy methods in pertaining literature.

An experimental design approach using TOPSIS method for the selection of computer-integrated manufacturing technologies

The selection of Computer-Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) technologies becomes more complex as the decision makers in the manufacturing organization have to assess a wide range of alternatives based on a set of attributes. Although, a lot of Multi-Attribute Decision-Making (MADM) methods are available to deal with selection applications, this paper aims to explore the applicability of an integrated TOPSIS and DoE method to solve different CIM selection problems in real-time industrial applications. Four CIM selection problems, which include selection of (a) an industrial robot, (b) a rapid prototyping process, (c) a CNC machine tool and (d) plant layout design, are considered in this paper. TOPSIS method and Design of Experiment (DoE) are used together to identify critical selection attributes and their interactions of all these cases by fitting a polynomial to the experimental data in a multiple linear regression analysis. This mathematical model development process involves TOPSIS experiments with the model. The regression meta-model greatly reduced the cost, time and amount of the calculation step in application the TOPSIS model. Application results were validated and shown that they provide good approximations to four decision making problem's results in the literature.

Evaluation of CIM technologies in Saudi industries using AHP

Successful implementation of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) technologies offers manufacturing organizations numerous benefits (both tangible and intangible). The evaluation and selection process of these technologies is a very complex task due to the many parameters involved that should be taken into consideration during the selection process. In this research, a number of Saudi industries were surveyed to evaluate their current CIM technologies. Future plans regarding the implementation of such technologies are also investigated. This research also presents a decision support system (DSS) for the evolution and selection of CIM technologies, taking into consideration the requirements of manufacturing industries. This is done to ensure that the selected technologies comply with the objectives of these companies. Depending on the emerged results, a multi-attribute decision-making approach (analytical hierarchy process - AHP) is used. A computerized tool CIMAHP (selection of CIM technologies using AHP) is developed to simplify the application of the suggested DSS. Developed tools are tested and demonstrated using a real case study.

Selection of computer-integrated manufacturing technologies using a combined analytic hierarchy process and goal programming model

Investment in computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) is a multi-attribute problem, which includes both qualitative and quantitative factors. In order to select the best set of CIM alternatives among the competing ones it is necessary to make a trade off between the quantative and qualitative factors some of which may conflict. Selection of appropriate CIM alternatives is vital in manufacturing companies’ long-term competitiveness, and it requires development of selection models. The selection model must consider various quantative and qualitative objectives and constraints simultaneously. For example, companies have generally limited funds to invest in new advanced technology. The size of the allocated fund limits the types and number of CIM alternatives a company can select in a given time period. In this article, a combined model of the analytical hierarchy process and goal programming is proposed to consider multiple objectives and constraints simultaneously. A real-world example is provided to illustrate the application of the combined approach.

A decision support system for the selection of computer-integrated manufacturing technologies

The adoption of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) offers manufacturing organizations many tangible and intangible benefits which enable them to produce products of high quality at low costs. However, the selection and evaluation of CIM is a complex process as it involves the consideration of many parameters to ensure that the selected technology meets the requirements of individual companies. This paper describes the development of a quantitative/qualitative decision support system for the evaluation of CIM which takes into consideration the objectives and operating characteristics of a company, thus ensuring that the selected technology matches the individual needs of that company. The methodology used in the decision support system is based on a combination of the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and database technology. The AHP provides a means to consider both the tangible and the intangible benefits of CIM while databases are used to store the knowledge about the various benefits that CIM may offer. The system has been implemented in EXCEL, which fully automates the evaluation process. A case study is also presented to illustrate the capability of the proposed decision support system.

Computer Integrated Manufacturing: Empirical Implications for Industrial Information Systems

Abstract:This paper describes the results of a recent field study of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) adoption strategies in U.S. manufacturing firms. The purpose of the study was to identify the extent to which CIM technologies are in use in U.S. firms, the impact of a facility’s process characteristics on the CIM development process, and the adoption policy being followed implicitly or explicitly. The survey focused on manufacturing process characteristics, the CIM development process, the CIM architecture, and perceived value and benefits. Our results indicate that CIM implementations follow a definite temporal pattern with respect to the adoption of certain information technologies. We also find evidence of labor substitution through CIM, although the direct labor jobs that are lost are partially replaced by engineering and design tasks. While most CIM users find that their CIM projects successfully meet their initial operational goals, the technology seems to be poorly integrated in most sites...

An empirical study of capital budgeting practices for strategic investments in CIM technologies

In recent years, an increasing number of companies have been struggling to justify strategic technology investments using traditional capital budgeting systems. The existing accounting-based decision models (such as discounted cashflow) are said to be no longer adequate to help evaluate investments in technological innovation, mainly because of the strategic, intangible nature of the benefits involved. As a result, traditional capital budgeting methods have been heavily criticized of discouraging the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies and thus undermining the competitiveness of western firms. Some authors would argue that the only alternative is to exempt these strategic investments from the control of accounting systems. Others have developed sophisticated methods for performing an integrated strategic and financial investment analysis. At this point, however, it is still unclear which approach is prevalent in practice and which factors contribute to effective investment decisions. This empirical study attempts to shed some light on the problem by examining the capital budgeting practices of firms with regard to strategic investments in Computer-Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) technologies. Questionnaire data are used to provide a better insight into the ways in which manufacturing firms go about controlling major investments in new process technologies. In addition, tentative findings are presented about hypothesized relationships between characteristics of the investment decision making process and the perceived ex post financial performance of CIM investments.

Recent advances in justifying CIM technologies

The difficulties of justifying new computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) technologies to top management are well known, and are common to many firms. Typically, the frustrations of the ‘justification exercise’ are as maddening to top managers as they are to the proposers. The latest research on this topic is reviewed here, and conclusions based on two surveys and numerous field studies are presented. An example of what one firm is doing to address the problem of CIM's intangible benefits concludes the paper.

Computer‐integrated Manufacturing (CIM): Redefining the Manufacturing Firm into a Global Service Business

The transformation of US manufacturing, led by computer‐integrated manufacturing (CIM) systems, has already begun to take root. This article examines the potential benefits to firms which understand and can exploit CIM technology to its fullest extent. Because CIM simultaneously provides high product variety with low costs, conventional assumptions about competitive strategy and organisation design need reevaluation. As companies must work with increasingly scarce capital, human resources and time, CIM becomes an attractive option not only for highly capital‐intensive industries such as automobiles, but also for fast‐changing areas such as textiles, fashion design, and consumer appliances. CIM combines the benefits of economies of scope with the scale economies traditionally garnered only with large, rigid and dedicated factories. Success with CIM and other new manufacturing technologies depends on new organisational designs and incentives that foster fast innovation and cross‐functional integration. CIM′s promising role in transforming the manufacturing firm into a service business across many different industries will spur many US firms′ efforts to enter a global marketplace.

Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) — Technological and Organizational Change in the West German capital goods industry

This article investigates the actual diffusion of CIM technologies and related developments in the organization of production and work. The results of a survey in West Germany (before the reunification in 1990) show that the utilization of CIM components and their integration is limited; yet promises dynamic growth and extensive dissemination in the near future. As far as organizational change is concerned, different paths of development can be observed. The majority of companies pursue traditional Taylorist strategies of functional and task specialization. A strong minority experiments with alternatives in limited areas, and a small minority integrates functions and tasks throughout production. A large number of contextual factors influence these developments. The chosen strategy for implementing CIM components and systems plays an important role in determining the direction of technological and organizational change in companies.

RAMP: A Test Bed for the Navy's Use of PDES Product Data

The Rapid Acquisition of Manufactured Parts (RAMP) Project is a U.S. Navy program employing computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) technologies and Computer-Aided Acquisition and Logistics Support (CALS) standards to facilitate parts procurement in the Navy supply system. As an R&D manufacturing/logistics program administered through the Naval Supply Systems Command (NavSup), RAMP is serving as a test bed for the ordering and manufacturing of parts using prototype versions of the Product Data Exchange Specification (PDES). The central theme of this paper is to highlight the objectives of RAMP which include (1) the integration of CIM technologies into the Navy logistics system, (2) the specification of procedures and standards to communicate part requirements to automated manufacturing activities, and (3) the installation of flexible CIM cells in Navy industrial sites. In large measure, the eventual success of RAMP will corroborate the feasibility of using neutral product data standards to procure and maintain naval weapon systems in the 1990s and beyond.

Forecasting methods for CIM technologies

The new technologies diffusion, measured by share changes, can be described by S-shaped curves. These curves usually represent the first three stages of a technological life cycle: embryonic stage, expansion, and maturity. The stage of a declining technology share depends on the dynamics of the next, evolving technology, which is at its embryonic or expansion stage. Naturally, the real trajectories never go along with a mathematical curve. The divergences depend on the economic environment, parallel inventions, and the business cycle situation [ 11. Moreover, some variables, such as the NCmachine tools production in total volume of metal-cutting machines production, do not look like an S-shaped curve. There are a lot of papers with the logistictype interpolation of new products and new technologies diffusion (see, for example, [ 2 ] ). Most of them deal with long-term ex-post time series of diffusion indicators, describing the penetration of homogeneous goods or technologies for the production of such goods. In the case of modern computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM ) the pre-history of the diffusion is relatively short (about 20 years), and the