FIGURE 1.2 Total 1984 U.S. electronics imports and exports with Japan and Europe (in millions of dollars). (Courtesy of Electronic Business Magazine.)

FIGURE 1.3 U.S . trade balance with Japan in electronics-based products. (Courtesy of Electronic Business Magazine.)

FIGURE 1.4 U.S. production of electronics equipment (value in current billions of dollars). (Courtesy of Electronic Business Magazine.)

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FIGURE 1.5 Growth rates in the U.S. production of electronics equipment. (Courtesy of Electronic Business Magazine.)

that an electronics manufacturing renaissance was required if this industry were to survive. A change from tradition to technology and automation was indeed the solution. During the 1970s, the in­ dustry commenced to utilize technology and developed elements of sophisticated automation for both design and manufacturing. These elements of automation are serving well as the foundation upon which the new renaissance is now being developed. The thrust of this new manufacturing approach is being aimed at integrated automation and all supporting functions for total automation, including product design. In the past few years, the principal strategy for changing traditional manufacturin g practices has been directed toward the concept of the factory of the future. The main ingredient of the factory of the future concept is commonly understood to be ’’automa­ tion . ” The absolute definition of the ’’ factory of the future” is not clear without injecting imagination.