For many manufacturing enterprises, assembly is an important portion of the final costs. Effectiveness was traditionally hunted for by reducing complex schedules into unit tasks (scientific work organization) and by enabling sequential assembly lines (vertical flow-shop). The approach leads to the highest productivity, and it is prised for mass production. Flow-lines and fixed schedules, however, require amortisation plans based on steady programmes on duty horizons corresponding to product volumes exceeding some minimal threshold. Market saturation and trade instability look for quick updating of the offered items, properly adapted to wider classes of buyers’ needs, possibly, down to the limit situation of oneof- a-kind customised quality. Worldwide enterprises. | 2 Computer-Integrated Assembly for Cost Effective Developments Rinaldo C. Michelini University of Genova Gabriella M. Acaccia University of Genova Massimo Callegari University of Genova Rezia M. Molfino University of Genova Roberto P. Razzoli University of Genova Introduction Assembly in Intelligent Manufacturing Market-Driven Trends in Factory Automation Cost Effectiveness by Means of Flexibility The T echnology of the Assembly P rocess Effectiveness Through Flexibility Issues Assessment of the Flexibility Requirements Decision Supports and Simulation Example Developments Reconfigurable Set-Ups Assembly Facilities Modular Assembly Transfer Lines Modularity of Assembly Lines with Buffers and By-Passes High-Versatility Self-Fixturing Facilities Robot-Operated Assembling Set-Ups Assembling by Integrated Control-and-Management Concluding Comments Off-Process Setting of a Customer-Driven Mass Production Assembly Facility Exploiting Recovery Flexibility with Adaptive Modular Assembly Facilities Programming Optimal Assembly for One-of-a-Kind Products Ackn owledgments Introduction For many manufacturing enterprises assembly is an important portion of the final costs. Effectiveness was traditionally hunted for by reducing complex schedules into unit tasks scientific work organization and by enabling sequential assembly lines vertical flow-shop . The approach leads to the highest productivity and it is prised for mass production. Flow-lines and fixed schedules however require amortisation plans based on steady programmes on duty horizons corresponding to product volumes exceeding some minimal threshold. Market saturation and trade instability look for quick updating of the offered items properly adapted to wider classes of buyers needs possibly down to the limit situation of one-of-a-kind customised quality. Worldwide enterprises looking for purchasers oriented supply are thus concerned by time-varying artefacts extended mixes of items have .
