Abstract
Manufacturing will change more in the next 15
years than it has in the last 75 years. The reasons
are clear ... survival and technology. Unless
U.S. companies can compete in a world economy on
price, quality, design and delivery, our companies
will not survive.
The distinctions between the process industries
and discrete manufacturers; between the manufacturing
of electronics and machinery; between assembly
and fabrication; between engineering and manufacturing
will all tend to blend (or blur) as an
economic lot size of one is approached.
Slautterback, W. H. (1985). Manufacturing Environment in the Year 2000. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu). Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /93150.