Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

1 Introduction and Overview
Pages 4-10

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 4...
... These functions constitute precisely the domain of information technology. The United States is unrivaled in its dominance in technologies for handling information.
From page 5...
... It needs to make the investment required to apply relevant technologies in building effective production facilities. Information technology is only one of many areas in which the nation must continue to invest, but it is the differentiator that will give the United States a competitive edge.
From page 6...
... (See Appendix A for one individual's vision of 21 st century manufacturing.} In addition to such technical barriers, financial issues also inhibit the achievement of information age manufacturing. Although the committee believes that information technology has huge value, current accounting principles still attach all the value to the materials used in a product and cannot accurately value embedded knowledge; software is typically treated as an expense by companies that depend on it even though it has the character of an asset to its users.
From page 7...
... Given the novelty of information technology and the fact that its technical and financial properties are not understood, it is not clear how to structure new information-intensive manufacturing enterprises and information-related investments or how to determine priorities for the supporting research. The challenge is thus to identify where information technology can help create efficient post-mass-production manufacturing as well as to identify gaps in its ability to do so.
From page 8...
... Both the committee and the FCCSET taxonomies illustrate that although there are many focused information technology applications for manufacturing, a growing number of applications are cross-cutting and in the nature of infrastructure. The federal government can promote progress in the three areas by sponsoring activities in three categories: · Research that directly supports manufacturing applications of information technology.
From page 9...
... o CL In o z z o ~ ~ IL o ~ IL Z In hi: lo A ~ Cat ~ Z Z ~ ~ , _ _ ~ C]
From page 10...
... Because the ultimate concern is practical results and not knowledge for its own sake, this economizing of effort and continual focusing on useful results must be made part of the administration of the research effort. An effective research strategy calls for the incorporation of metrics and methods for validation of implicit or explicit hypotheses.


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.