Trends in Manufacturing

Certain trends that are taking place in manufacturing are very significant for shaping the factory of the future. These trends come into picture because of the management's desire to discover new ways to enhance productivity and from new opportunity afforded by developing technologies. These trends are defined in the following sub-sections.

• Shorter Product Life Cycles
• More Customized Products
• Increased Emphasis on Quality and Reliability
• New Materials
• Growing Use of Electronics
• Greater Use of Computer
• Just-in-Time Manufacturing
• Outsourcing
• Point-of-Use Manufacture
• Pressure to Reduce Inventories