Computer Integrated Manufacturing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) is manufacturing supported by computers. It is the total integration of Computer Aided Design / Manufacturing and also other business operations and databases.

This term has generally been replaced by Manufacturing Process Management in the wider field of PLM - Product Lifecycle Management.

Some components of CIM are: CAD (Computer-aided design), CAPP (Computer-aided process planning), CAQ (Computer-aided quality assurance), CAM (Computer-aided manufacturing), ERP (Enterprise resource planning)

Definition according to the Computer and Automated Systems Association of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers: "CIM is the integration of total manufacturing enterprise by using integrated systems and data communication coupled with new managerial philosophies that improve organizational and personnel efficiency."

Another definition is:

A computer-automated system in which individual engineering, production, marketing, and support functions of a manufacturing enterprise are organized; functional areas such as design, analysis, planning, purchasing, cost accounting, inventory control, and distribution are linked through the computer with factory floor functions such as materials handling and management, providing direct control and monitoring of all process operations.

In 1993 the European Union ESPRIT programme carried out an investigation on how the trade-off between manual labour and automation affects the quality of the resultant products.