ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the organizational phase of the manufacturing process: such as product design, process design, resource scheduling, material handling, and manufacturing planning. In reality the complex concept of computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) is the integration of subsolutions for a flexible automation task. A CIM shell is a conceptual framework that defines the factory model and the methodology of implementing knowledge-based techniques in a plant. Quality assurance is concerned with the quality of the product, the consistent operation of the machines, and the dependence of the product on the uniformity and exactness of the production process. Pilot-type controller modules for the workcell and workshop levels were installed in a Philips factory in West Germany for audio products. The task of maintenance is to minimize the production losses and if necessary to predict the reduction in process quality. The causes of production losses and poor process quality are bottlenecks in the production flow, faulty machines, defective raw materials, and defective products.
