Beginning of Essay
The term manufacturing includes all activities from the perception of a need for a product, through the conception, design and development of the product, production, marketing, and support of the product in use. Every action involved in these activities uses da ....

Middle of Essay
.... that is more precise might be the utilization of computers to control the integration and flow of information between design, engineering, manufacturing, logistics, warehousing and distribution, customers and suppliers, sales and marketing activities, financial management and the overall control of the enterprise. At one extreme, a Computer-Integrated Manufacturing process may be fully automated, with computers (and robots) controlling the entire production process with minimal human intervention. However, CIM is typically employed at a level short of total integration. Many manufacturers who are leaders in CIM typically have concentrated their ef ....