Providing a comprehensive introduction to the new multidisciplinary function called Manufacturing Systems Engineering (MSE) this textbook is intended to demonstrate the systems aspects of modern manufacturing operations.

A technological book is written and published for one of two reasons: it either renders some other book in the same field obsolete or breaks new ground in the sense that a gap is filled. The present book aims to do the latter. On my return from industry to an academic career, I started writing this book because I had seen that a gap existed. Although a great deal of information appeared in the published literature about various technical aspects of advanced manufacturing technology (AMT), surprisingly little had been written about the systems con- text within which the sophisticated hardware...

In order to compete in an increasingly demanding market, many manufacturing companies have to redesign or restructure their manufacturing systems so that a set of coherent manufacturing strategies can be supported. So this book aims to provide a comprehensive treatment of manufacturing strategy analysis (MSA) and manufacturing systems design (MSD). The strategic concerns of manufacturing are linked to subsequent manufacturing systems design activities through the use of an effective MSA/MSD interface.
Topics include: A structured approach to formulating manufacturing strategies; A set of...