CIM methodology and its application in some Chinese factories

Computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) has been widely accepted by industries all over the world. But how to design the integration of different subsystems to reach the expected goal of great improvement of flexibility, efficiency, high quality and competition ability is not clear at the moment. It is anxiously necessary to develop a CIM design methodology for guiding the development of CIM. Methodology is a set of methods, including three parts: modelling methods, reference models, and structured approach. This paper describes the contents and applications of CIM methodology in some Chinese factories. The experiences and comments are proposed as well.<>