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Résumé :
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Manufacturing has played a vital role in the European economy and society,and it will remain a significant generator of wealth in the future. A strong manufacturing industry will indeed continue to be fundamental to creating stable employment inside the European economy. For these reasons the ability to maintain and develop the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry is essential for Europe’s prosperity. This is especially the case at the present time when the risk of de-industrialisation is becomingincreasingly serious owing to the growing intensity of competition emerging from low-wage countries, outsourcing and off-shoring trends, and the brain-drain phenomenon. In such circumstances it is important to share a common understanding and create awareness of the new challenges and opportunities for the next generation of manufacturing, and from this, to develop a strategic research agenda and stimulate new research initiatives. This is the rationale behind the preparation and publication of this book on Advanced Manufacturing, which summarises the results of three years of work within the IMS-NoE project (Network of Excellence on Intelligent Manufacturing Systems). The IMS-NoE, funded by the European Commission, has provided a sound support infrastructure and a stimulating forum for discussion on the future of manufacturing and promoting excellence in manufacturing-related research. The Network consists of over 300 experts in manufacturing, coming not only from the European Union, where it originated, but also from other IMS Regions (Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Switzerland and the USA). The IMS-NoE owes its success to its multi-regional and multidisciplinary nature. The IMS-NoE brought together the expertise and experience of hundreds of researchers, industrial managers and policymakers worldwide and has collected their ideas, forming them into the IMS-NoE Vision on the Future of Manufacturing. This was developed through the organization of initiatives such as: IMS-NoE Special Interest Group brainstorming meetings (www.imsnoe.org/SIG.asp), the International IMS Forum 2004, a survey on technology foresight projects, a Delphi study on ICT in manufacturing, and a series of workshops on ICT in manufacturing (www.ims-noe.org/FP7.asp), which set the cornerstone for the ICT in manufacturing initiative in the fields of: • ICT to support management of IPR in view of industrial outsourcing/insourcing strategies; • New intelligent and networked products; • The agile wireless manufacturing plant; • New manufacturing technologies for miniaturised ICT; • Strategies for the design and manufacturing of new products.
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