Web-integrated manufacturing: Recent developments and emerging issues

A web application is defined as any software application that depends on the World Wide Web for its correct execution. A variety of web applications have already been developed in product design and manufacture, and more are yet to appear in the very near future. The web technology is highly expected to provide an adequate information infrastructure to support the collaboration between work centres geographically distributed over time. This paper examines a number of representative major initiatives and projects recently completed or just launched on web-based product design and manufacture. Major issues emerged from these recent developments are then identified and discussed in the design and development of future web applications in product design and manufacture. Many of these issues have not yet been dealt with adequately and will be the major challenges for further research. It is hoped that this article assists the researchers who have recently entered into, or have worked for some time on, this field of web application in product design and manufacture, to better understand the potentials and challenges of the web technology.