Databases for CIMS and IMS

One of the trends of modern manufacturing is to progress towards Computer-Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) for better communication, co-ordination, and efficiency throughout the enterprise. Communications systems and information systems are key components for achieving true integration of distributed manufacturing systems (horizontal integration). Furthermore, information is the basic ingredient used for decision-making at the various decision levels of any manufacturing enterprise (vertical integration). Information is the “glue” which ties together all the modules of a manufacturing system while the underlying integrating infrastructure (i.e., a set of computer services connecting modules and ensuring transparent information exchange) is the backbone of its information system [2].