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Revision as of 17:30, 3 October 2006
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Manufacturing, a branch of industry which accounts for about one-quarter of the world's economic activity, is the application of tools and a processing medium to the transformation of raw materials into finished goods for sale. Manufacturing is a wealth producing sector of an economy, whereas a service sector tends to be wealth consuming. This effort includes all intermediate processes required for the production and integration of a product's components. Some industries, such as semiconductor and steel manufacturers use the term fabrication instead.
The geographical concentration of the manufacturing industry is changing. The industrial capacity of many of the western nations is being negatively impacted by an imbalance in currency exchange rates, accompanied by wage erosion and a corresponding loss of engineering job opportunities in western nations, due to relocation and outsourcing of enterprise to more exploitative and lower-wage countries of the world which have fewer labor protections and lower environmental standards.
Context
- The economics and commercial management of a manufacturing company is covered in Business.
- The classification of those Businesses is covered in Industry.
- The economic decisions taken within this activity is covered in Production.
- The law as applied to businesses in covered in Commercial Law.
- The general management of a business is in Management (see also: General manager).
- The political impact of the development of industry is covered in Political economy
- The use of computer technology is covered by Product Lifecycle Management.
History and development
Although handicraft production has existed for many millennia, modern-style manufacturing is generally regarded as beginning around 1780 with the British Industrial Revolution, spreading thereafter to Continental Europe and North America, and subsequently around the world. Originally, the term applied to commodities or artifacts which were "made by hand".
- The beginnings of manufacturing is covered in the Industrial Revolution.
- The development of the manufacturing facility is covered in the Factory.
- The development of the applied science behind manufacturing is covered in Industrial processes.
- The changing methods of Manufacturing are covered in Manufacturing Systems in the main article.
Taxonomy of manufacturing processes
Taxonomy of manufacturing processes (separate page)
Manufacturing systems
- Craft or Guild system
- English system of manufacturing
- American System of manufacturing
- Soviet collectivism in manufacturing
- Mass production
- Just In Time manufacturing
- Lean manufacturing
- Flexible manufacturing
- Mass customization
- Agile manufacturing
- Rapid manufacturing
- Prefabrication
Theories
Control
Manufacturing engineering
- Production engineering
- Industrial engineering
- Computer-aided manufacturing
- Computer integrated manufacturing
- Numerically controlled
- Computer numerically controlled
- Distributed control systems
- Fieldbus control systems
- Programmable logic controllers
Assembly systems
Design
- Rapid prototyping
- Computer aided design
- New product development
- Toolkits for User Innovation
- Configuration systems
Others
Lists of related topics
- list of engineering topics
- list of management topics
- list of production topics
- list of marketing topics
- list of economics topics
- list of international trade topics
- list of finance topics
- list of accounting topics
- list of information technology management topics
- list of business law topics
- list of human resource management topics
- list of business theorists
- list of economists
- list of corporate leaders
- list of industries provider
External links
- Information about Advanced Planning Systems (planning problems, optimisation, software)
- The Logistics Institute. The International Certifying body for the P.Log. designation.
- LQ Magazine (Logistics Quarterly)
- Lean Manufacturing Training and Implementation Lean Advisors Inc.
- http://www.coolstuffbeingmade.com - A collection of videos of how things are made in America
- http://lfm.mit.edu - The Leaders for Manufacturing program at MIT combines graduate education in engineering and management. LFM's goal is to teach guiding principles for world-class manufacturing and operations.
- http://www.unido.org - United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
- Manufacturers Listing - Directory for manufacturers
- Manufacturing Technology Solutions
- http://www.shopfloor.org - A Blog About Manufacturing
- The Six Sigma Zone
- http://malaysiamanufacturer.blogspot.com - A Blog About Manufacturer in Malaysia
- http://www.nam.org - The National Association of Manufacturers Web site
- http://manufacturing.stanford.edu - A site with videos showing the manufacturing process for many everyday things
- http://www.themanufacturer.com/ - A site consisting of news and articles about US and UK manufacturing industries
- Furniture manufacturers- A list of furniture manufacturer
- Global Manufacturer Online resource about China manufacturing industries.
- President Bush speech to the National Association of Manufacturers (7/27/06).
- Engineers Edge Online guide to manufacturing processes.