The Dark Factory and the Future of Manufacturing
The Dark Factory and the Future of Manufacturing

Author: Philip J. Gisi

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2024-02-19

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 1003849083

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The world of manufacturing is undergoing significant changes driven by various factors and technological advancements. Automation and robotics technologies are revolutionizing manufacturing processes. Robotic systems are being increasingly used for repetitive and precise tasks, improving efficiency, quality, and safety. The Internet of Things (IoT) is enabling connectivity and data exchange between devices and systems. Manufacturing generates vast amounts of data and is leveraging this data through advanced analytics, providing valuable insights to optimize production processes, predict maintenance needs, and improve supply chain management. Additive Manufacturing has also gained significant traction in manufacturing. It enables the creation of complex parts and prototypes, customization, and rapid prototyping. Supply chains are becoming more interconnected and digitally integrated. Technologies such as blockchain enable transparent and secure transactions, traceability, and efficient inventory management. These trends and others are reshaping the manufacturing industry, promoting increased efficiency, agility, and sustainability. Manufacturers must be aware, understand, and embrace these changes to stay competitive and meet the evolving demands of customers in the modern era. This book enhances the awareness and understanding of these core technologies by explaining what they are and how they are being used in manufacturing. In addition, it provides practical suggestions on how to advance manufacturing in light of these changes. The book provides a view into the future and direction on how to navigate the journey to a more automated, smarter, and continuously learning factory. This book consolidates the major elements of the fourth industrial revolution and describes them in clear terms within the context of integrated manufacturing. It creates awareness and a fundamental understanding of the advanced technologies that are coming together to facilitate highly automated, smarter, agile, and sustainable operations.

The Dark Factory and the Future of Manufacturing
The Dark Factory and the Future of Manufacturing

Author: Philip J. Gisi

Publisher: Productivity Press

Published: 2024-02-23

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781032687476

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This book enhances the awareness and understanding of these core technologies by explaining what they are and how they are being used in manufacturing. In addition, it provides practical suggestions on how to advance manufacturing in light of these changes.

What Machines Can't Do
What Machines Can't Do

Author: Robert J. Thomas

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 1994-03-25

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 9780520915077

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Virtually every manufacturing company has plans for an automated "factory of the future." But Robert J. Thomas argues that smart machines may not hold the key to an industrial renaissance. In this provocative and enlightening book, he takes us inside four successful manufacturing enterprises to reveal the social and political dynamics that are an integral part of new production technology. His interviews with nearly 300 individuals, from top corporate executives to engineers to workers and union representatives, give his study particular credibility and offer surprising insights into the organizational power struggles that determine the form and performance of new technologies. Thomas urges managers not to put blind hopes into smarter machines but to find smarter ways to organize people. As U.S. companies battle for survival in an era of growing global competition, What Machines Can't Do is an invaluable treatise on the ways we organize work. While its call for change is likely to be controversial, it will also attract anyone who wishes to understand the full impact of new technology on jobs, organizations, and the future of the industrial enterprise.

Forcing the Factory of the Future
Forcing the Factory of the Future

Author: Bryn Jones

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1997-06-26

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 9780521572064

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Is computerised production transforming work roles, as recent debates about flexible specialisation and post-Fordist manufacturing suggest? This book focuses on the key case of metalworking batch production in Britain, Italy, Japan and the USA. Looking at technological, political and social developments from a comparative perspective, it suggests that comprehensive factory principles never fully replaced workshop organisation. Drawing on empirical case studies of flexible manufacturing systems, Bryn Jones offers a new distinction between the bureaucratic bias of Taylorism and the product standardisation approach of Fordism, and questions whether computerised production is transcending Fordism. Instead of the often predicted models of deskilled, centrally controlled work, or a decentralised craft renaissance, he shows a greater likelihood of national variations between factory and workshop principles continuing into the contemporary age of computerisation.

Crafting the Future
Crafting the Future

Author: Jordan Grey

Publisher: eBookIt.com

Published: 2024-03-29

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1456648225

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Revolutionize Your Professional Journey: Dive into the Synergy of Craft, Creativity, and the New Work Movement Imagine stepping into a world where your work is not just a means to an end but a canvas for your creativity and innovation. "Crafting the Future: The DIY Factory & New Work Nexus" invites you on a transformative journey to redefine the essence of work, creativity, and collaboration in the modern era. This compelling read is not just a book; it's a blueprint for a future where work and passion intersect seamlessly. At the heart of this revolutionary guide is the emergence of the DIY Ethos intertwined with the principles of New Work. The book delves into the historical roots of DIY, tracking its evolution from simple handicraft to its current high-tech embodiment, and sets the stage for a deep dive into the New Work movement, which challenges the industrial age's legacy by advocating for flexibility, autonomy, and purpose. Through a series of enlightening chapters, learn how the synergy between DIY factories and new work structures is not just a theory but a practicable reality. Success stories and case studies provide a robust framework for understanding how individuals and organizations worldwide are merging creativity with productivity to craft not just goods, but a better future. The chapters on Setting the Stage for Innovation and The DIY Factory Model offer practical insights into designing collaborative workspaces and fostering communities of innovators, equipping you with the knowledge to either join or create your own DIY factory. The journey further navigates through the complexities of technology, economic impacts, cultural shifts, and the crucial role of leadership in this evolving landscape. With an entire section dedicated to personal transformation, this book also serves as a self-help guide for those aspiring to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and balance passion with pragmatism. "Crafting the Future: The DIY Factory & New Work Nexus" is more than just a book; it's a manifesto for anyone yearning to build a fulfilling career that doesn't compromise creativity for productivity. Whether you're an individual looking to pivot your career path or a leader aiming to inspire a culture of innovation, this book provides the tools, techniques, and inspiration necessary to make a significant impact. Embrace the future of work by embedding the principles of DIY and New Work into the very fabric of your professional life. Step into the nexus of change and embark on a journey towards a productive, creative, and fulfilling future.

Making It
Making It

Author: Louis Uchitelle

Publisher: The New Press

Published: 2009-06-09

Total Pages: 127

ISBN-13: 1620971011

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A veteran New York Times economics correspondent reports from factories nationwide to illustrate the continuing importance of industry for our country. In the 1950s, manufacturing generated nearly 30 percent of US income. But over the decades, that share has gradually declined to less than 12 percent, at the same time that real estate, finance, and Wall Street trading have grown. While manufacturing’s share of the US economy shrinks, it expands in countries such as China and Germany that have a strong industrial policy. Meanwhile Americans are only vaguely aware of the many consequences—including a decline in their self-image as inventive, practical, and effective people—of the loss of that industrial base. Reporting from places where things were and sometimes still are “Made in the USA”—New York, New York; Boston; Detroit; Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Indiana; Los Angeles; Midland, Michigan; Milwaukee; Philadelphia; St. Louis; and Washington, DC—Louis Uchitelle argues that the government has a crucial role to play in making domestic manufacturing possible. If the Department of Defense subsidizes the manufacture of weapons and war materiel, why shouldn’t the government support the industrial base that powers our economy? Combining brilliant reportage with an incisive economic and political argument, Making It tells the overlooked story of manufacturing’s still-vital role in the United States and how it might expand. “Compelling . . . demonstrates the intimate connection between good work and national well-being . . . economics with a heart.” —Mike Rose, author of The Mind at Work