FUTURE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS - TOWARDS THE EXTENDED ENTERPRISE

Manufacturing research has been focused on point solutions and technol ogy-driven solutions, These have not delivered the step changes in per formance needed, nor have they been adopted by wide sections of indust ry so the total business benefit resulting has been modest. The author s propose that manufacturing research must now place greater emphasis on total manufacturing business systems development. Coupled with the integration and communication technologies now becoming available this is the best way to enable manufacturers to realise the competitive ga in demanded by the market place. The primary pressures to which manufa cturing will be subject are detailed. These are encapsulated in the co ncept of customer-driven manufacturing business systems. In these syst ems the customer increasingly becomes an integrated part of both the b usiness systems and the engineering systems of the enterprise. Key pro duct and process technological advances, environmental, and market pla ce developments are described. Probably most significant are the chang es in the value chain now emerging which transform manufacturing busin ess systems and overturn both conventional manufacturing strategy and existing manufacturing metrics. The institutionalisation of the Extend ed Enterprise is one of the most tangible and has far reaching outcome s. This will involve major structural changes in business organisation . The basis of partnership within the Extended Enterprise is not yet w ell understood but alternative operations models are likely to be indu stry and market sector specific. Concurrent Engineering is becoming ac cepted but understanding of best practice on how, when and in what ord er to implement it is needed. The extension of tools to embrace enviro nmental issues could offer significant benefit to small and medium siz ed enterprises. The appraisal of manufacturing business options must b e developed to match the changes in the business operations environmen t described above.