IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology Balanced Automation Systems

In fact, the manufacturing process is no more carried out by a single enterprise, rather each enterprise is just a node that adds some value (a step in the manufacturing chain) to the cooperation network of enterprises. This volume presents the proceedings of the International Conference on Architecture and Design Methods for Balanced Automation Systems, organized by the International Federation for Information Processing and sponsored by the IEEE and ECLA. The conference was held in Vitoria, Brazil, in July 1995. The book introduces the concept of balanced automation, discussing this in the context of its social and economic implications. Special emphasis is given to strategies for migrations from legacy systems, and to the integration of humans in the global supervision architecture of manufacturing systems. A wide range of research and development results from a worldwide panel of internationally recognized experts is presented. This book is essential reading for all those working in industrial, mechanical, electrical and computer engineering, especially engineers and students, and those involved in research and development.