Are present multimedia technologies good enough for applications in industrial environment?

This paper discusses some of the advantages of using a multimedia system to deliver the diverse range of information within the manufacturing environment. The multimedia technologies allow a user to have controlled access to the required information within a a range of applications, in an easily accessible and structured manner, by using on a system delivering maintenance and process information on the factory floor, within a fully automated manufacturing plant. The close monitoring of the operational performance of various plants, manufacturing shops-floor/cells/machines, as well as their associated instrumentation and control is seen to be of increasing strategic importance. Failures can lead to increased costs, reduced product quality, consistency and production, plant shutdown, an increased environmental impact. There is a real need for the advanced monitoring/supervising technologies to be applied, and their potential demonstrated, on complex industrial plants. With the integration of multimedia technologies and knowledge-based systems with network technology giving access to external databases, we may analyze a concept of industrial multimedia that can be realized.