June, 1995, Volume 1, No. 6

Table of contents:

The Reality of Virtual Manufacturing
Editor David Blanchard looks at how virtual reality (VR) is taking manufacturing into the 21st Century. The use of VR by eight, well-known companies is showcased to provide insight into their cutting-edge manufacturing applications.

Customers Drive Desires Home: How to Synchronize When Mass Customization Comes to Roost
Julie Fraser, a senior strategic advisor with Berclain (Schaumburg, Ill.), meets what is probably one of the biggest challenges facing today's manufacturers: Customizing products to match customers' expectations. Business impacts, system supports, and the reality behind the drive toward mass customization are all reviewed with an eye toward making it work for your organization.

Agile Tools: The Configurators
Following the custom manufacturing theme, this article considers the effect of configurators. Bob Turek examines homemade configurators, software innovations, "bottom up" vs. "top down," mobile computing, and the benefits of a complete integrated manufacturing package.

Foundation for Profits: Net Effect
Planning ahead to anticipate the effects of manufacturing decisions can result in some very disappointing financial figures, particularly if the net effect is not taken into consideration. Paul Peyton, president of Dynatech Industries (Colville, Wash.), explains how primary results, secondary responses and permanent change are all part of figuring out the net effect of manufacturing decisions.

Craft-Based Manufacturing
As the need for breakthrough improvement continues, many manufacturers are moving beyond TQM and continuous improvement programs. Terence T. Burton, president of The Center for Excellence in Operations (Nashua, N.H.), offers his outlook on an emerging breakthrough improvement activity, known as craft-based manufacturing.

Mass Customization Replacing Mass Production
A recent Agility Forum roundtable looked at the success experienced by companies adopting agile manufacturing methods in place of the more standard, mass production ideologies.

Products
A round-up of recently released manufacturing products.

Calendar
A listing of upcoming intelligent manufacturing-related events.

Improving Quality Applies to Employees, Too
Quality is not just intended for the product any longer, as advanced manufacturing processes require employees to be well-suited mentally and physically for the job.

Will China Replace U.S. as Top Manufacturer?
The FutureLetter predicts China's ascendance to the top of the manufacturing realm within the next 40 years or so.

Call for Authors