The integration of information technology into industrial development and manufacturing is a worldwide phenomenon whose technical and economic effects are of great importance for the continued development and competitiveness of production technology in all industrial countries. Work is under way in this area in all corners of the globe. Functional hardware and software components with integrated production facilities are already available, improved hard- and software (databases, networks) allow existing separate solutions to be linked together. This results in: - a greater speed of response to changes in the product, equipment and costumer requirements - a higher degree of complexity in production without the partly artificial and time-consuming division into production stages caused by the limited scheduling capabilities prevailing at present - a more efficient use of the machines through better planning and monitoring - manufacture with reduced numbers of personnel and ingenious main tenance concepts, and consequently, reduced production costs.
