ABSTRACT
There are several forces that are conspiring today to create massive change in the allocation of where value is added in the supply chain and in the factory environment. These forces are created by economic trends, technological advances, global competitive pressures, and new strategic thinking. These forces are causing transformations that on one hand are causing functions, business processes, corporate structures, and even industries to disassemble (i.e., the fission part of the formula); and on the other hand, these forces are also causing transformations that see new types of integration or fusion of business processes, corporate entities, and industries. The purpose of this chapter is to examine these trends and provide some insight into the impact that these counter-balancing trends are having on the e-factory. These trends should be an important consideration during the creation of the e-factory roadmap.
