Measurement and control in the dot.com world

摘要

Measurement and control are at the heart of any business enterprise, both in managing the financial, human and physical assets of the organisation, and also - especially in the case of a manufacturing operation - deploying those resources to optimal effect in the production process. It may be a clichC, but it's true: what cannot be measured cannot be managed. Since the Industrial Revolution engineers and business people have employed increasingly sophisticated measurement and control techniques to run their factories, increase their productivity and serve their customers better. From the perspective of human history, progress has been amazingly rapid, driven by a series of technological advances - steam power, the railways, electric power and, most recently, the digital revolution. We are now poised for the most significant step change so far, brought about by the increasing adoption of Internet-based technologies in the manufacturing world. This lecture will not, however, be a technical exposition on the virtues of the Internet, the aim is to introduce you to some of the drivers and concepts changing the face of manufacturing industry.