This research involves: (1) Expanding the scope of initial work in capacity planning to other types of manufacturing systems such as those with batch processing and assembly; (2) Choice of Technology, investment planning in a dynamic environment with the objective of developing models that examine the trade-offs between flexibility and associated costs, and provide a basis for evaluation of new technologies, especially in CIM and FMS systems; and (3) Design of Quality in Manufacturing Systems. Traditionally, quality in manufacturing has emphasized conformance. Recent success of Taguchi and related approaches suggest that an integrated view that takes into account design, manufacturing and market response is likely to be beneficial. This research will examine economic and managerial issues involved in the design of quality control systems. The research will be directed at developing integrated models that examine strategic and design choices in manufacturing. These choices occur within a framework that includes policies from other functional disciplines such as engineering, product design and marketing. These concepts have been referred to as concurrent Life Cycle Design analysis and Design for Manufacturability. Empirical research suggests that these ideas are one of the key factors in the success of Japanese manufacturers. Initially the focus will be on the development of models for performance evaluation and optimization to support design decisions.
