ABSTRACT
Every few years there is a new idea on how to fix or vastly improve business management and the process of manufacturing. These ideas are usually greeted with great fanfare, have their own set of acronyms, seem very mystifying to us common people, and require expensive consultants to help the uninformed find their way. For most of us, the acceptance process begins by sorting out the truth from the hyperbole, learning the details to see how the ideas might be applied, and having made the decision to proceed, going through agonizing implementation and retraining processes. Collaborative manufacturing does not fall into this category. This is a step in manufacturing management evolution, not a revolution. It is a significant step, but only a step. With collaborative manufacturing, nearly all the tools are already in place. The supply-chain management effort will be stretched a little and the resource planning-system connection will be relatively minor. Even the plant real-time information is likely to already exist. Collaboration requires a review of the objectives, some defined alignment with network partners, and tying the pieces together. This is hardly going to be an easy process, but the gut-wrenching system installations you have experienced or heard about should not be necessary.
