The Competitive Edge -- Copyright -- Preface -- Contents -- Executive Summary -- 1 Overview -- CHANGING GROUND RULES OF MANUFACTURING COMPETITIVENESS -- A THREE-PRONGED THEORETICAL BASIS -- Information -- Integration -- Intelligence -- BARRIERS TO COMPETITIVENESS -- Inflexible Organizations -- Inadequate Technology Base -- Inappropriate Performance Measures -- Lack of Career Esteem -- STEPS FOR CHANGING -- FINDINGS OF THE PANELS -- Intelligent Manufacturing Control -- Equipment Reliability and Maintenance -- Advanced Engineered Materials -- Product Realization Process -- Manufacturing Skills Improvement -- VISION -- NOTES -- 2 Intelligent Manufacturing Control -- IMPORTANCE -- VISION -- PRESENT AND FUTURE PRACTICE -- Manufacturing Assumptions -- An Architecture for IMC-the World Model -- Integration -- Control -- Intelligence -- Case Studies -- IMC in the Wire-Drawing Industry -- IMC in the Chemicals Industry-Five Years from Today -- PRIORITIZED RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS -- MECHANISMS FOR DIFFUSION AND IMPLEMENTATION -- NOTES -- 3 Equipment Reliability and Maintenance -- IMPORTANCE -- PRESENT PRACTICE -- U.S./Japanese Automobile Part Stamping -- Near Defect-Free Pump Production -- Diagnostic Monitoring of Steam Turbine Generators -- ERM in the U.S. Semiconductor Industry -- VISION -- BARRIERS TO PROGRESS -- Lack of Awareness -- Lack of Data -- Lack of Skills -- RESEARCH NEEDS -- People-Related Needs -- Equipment-Related Needs -- Performance measurement -- Tools and techniques -- Methodologies -- Summary -- NOTES -- 4 Manufacturing of and with Advanced Engineered Materials -- STATE OF THE ART -- Materials Processing and Manufacturing -- Polymer-Based Composites -- Metal-Matrix Composites -- Educational Infrastructure -- VISION -- CHALLENGES -- Process Simulation and Modeling -- Knowledge-Based Systems -- Sensors -- Technical Cost Modeling.

RESEARCH NEEDS -- Materials -- Integration -- Education and Training -- Research Guidelines -- NOTE -- 5 Product Realization Process -- Customers -- Technology -- Organization -- Conclusions -- IMPORTANCE -- VISION -- PRESENT PRACTICE -- Advanced Technology Development -- Definition -- Present practice -- Vision -- Conceptual Design -- Definition -- Present Practice -- Vision -- Development of Product Quality -- Definition -- Present Practice -- Vision -- Detailed Product Design Process -- Definition -- Present Practice -- Vision -- Production Capacity Development -- Definition -- Present Practice -- Vision -- Production -- Definition -- Present Practice -- Vision -- Distribution and Marketing -- Definition -- Present Practice -- Vision -- Life-Cycle Support -- End-to-End Infrastructure Processes -- Cross-Cutting Issues -- RESEARCH NEEDS -- Intelligent Images -- Linkages and Relationships -- Organizational Framework -- Summary -- NOTE -- 6 Manufacturing Skills Improvement -- IMPORTANCE -- BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES -- RESEARCH NEEDS AND GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS -- Priority One: Collaborative Education in Manufacturing Skills -- Rationale -- Recommendation -- Comment -- Priority Two: Educational Level-Faculty -- Rationale -- Recommendation -- Comment -- Priority Three: Education of Managers -- Rationale -- Recommendation -- Priority Four: Establishment of Education and Training Consortia -- Rationale -- Recommendation -- Comment -- Priority Five: Educational Level-Paraprofessional (Two-year Colleges/Vocational Schools) -- Rationale -- Recommendation -- Conceptual Thinking -- Rationale -- Recommendation -- Cooperative Behavior -- Rationale -- Recommendation -- Effective and Efficient Teaching Methods -- Rationale -- Recommendation -- Educational Level-Bachelor's Degree -- Recommendation -- Educational Level-Through High School -- Recommendation -- Summary.

NOTES -- Bibliography -- Appendix A Selected Employment Data -- Appendix B Panels of the Committee on Analysis of Research Directions and Needs in U.S. Manufacturing -- PANEL ON INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING CONTROL -- Liaisons to the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences -- PANEL ON EQUIPMENT RELIABILITY AND MAINTENANCE -- Liaisons to the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences -- PANEL ON MANUFACTURING OF AND WITH ADVANCED ENGINEERED MATERIALS -- Liaison to the Department of Defense -- Liaison to the Committee -- Liaisons to the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences -- PANEL ON RAPID PRODUCT REALIZATION PROCESS -- Liaison to the Committee -- Liaisons to the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences -- PANEL ON MANUFACTURING SKILLS IMPROVEMENT -- Liaisons to the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences -- PANEL ON ALTERNATIVE CONCEPTS IN MANUFACTURING -- Liaison to the Industrial Technology Institute -- Liaisons to the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences -- Index.