COMPUTERIZED FACILITIES DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT - AN OVERVIEW

Computerized facilities planning software, along with simulation softw are, traces its beginning to the late 1960s. Since then, facilities pl anning has evolved from basic 2-D, CAD drafting, and punch-card layout generation to interactive 3-D, animated graphics integrated with MRP systems, spreadsheets, databases, and simulation systems on a variety of platforms. Facilities planning, design, and management is a large f ield that encompasses many types of facilities within the office, proc ess, and industrial disciplines. This overview of computerized tools u sed in facilities planning focuses on key attributes typically associa ted with today's industrial facilities planning software.