FMS-Planning Since the Early Eighties - Experiences, Recommendations and Future Tendencies

This paper gives an outline of contents, main reasons, planning and developing procedures, success determining factors, results and also side effects of nearly 100 FMS-related projects carried out for industrial companies by the department "Manufacturing Systems" at the Fraunhofer-Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) during the period 1979 until 1991. Furthermore goals and resulting requirements concerning manufacturing systems of the Nineties are discussed with an emphasis on future control systems and demands for personnel.