ABSTRACT
The system is designed to offer great flexibility in production by using NC machines and increased speed and flexibility in material-handling systems by using computers and automated guided vehicles (AGVs). It can handle a production mix consisting
of up to 800 different parts with a production volume anywhere from a few units to 10,000-12,000 units. The terms “special systems,” “flexible manufacturing system” (FMS), and “manufacturing cell” are often used to describe CIMS with a different combination of part variety and production volume. Table 16.1 shows a popular classification guideline suggesting the features of a system to be utilized. A special system offers less production flexibility and more material-handling automation, including fast-moving computerized conveyor systems, while a manufacturing cell offers more flexibility in manufacturing with a small production volume on the average for each part. Here, material handling can be obtained more independently by using AGV systems. As is true of any manufacturing system, the purpose of CIMS is to produce salable goods at a minimum cost in the shortest possible time. Unlike traditional manufacturing, however, CIMS employs the philosophy that management must work to optimize the whole business operation rather than individual functions or workstations.
