The Link to the ‘Real World’: Information, Knowledge and Experience for Decision Making

In many companies the planning and control of production is a very complex process involving several different operational functions and people. In the 1970s and 1980s, in order to fulfill planning and control tasks effectively and efficiently, complex planning and control algorithms and computer based systems were designed and used in industry. As part of a comprehensive CIM philosophy, it was thought that these systems would help to create the fully automated, ‘man-less’ factory. This was a global paradigm (Miller, De Mayer & Nakane 1992). Frequently, however, the hoped-for successes did not materialize.