Construction of an Open Standard. Process and Implications of Specifying the Manufacturing Automation Protocol (MAP)

摘要

The report examines two interrelated phenomena. On the one hand it considers the development towards completely integrated manufacturing systems aided by computers. The end result of the movement is often caught under the heading of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM). On the other hand it looks at the efforts to create open standards in factory communication systems, that would enable the integration of products from different vendors. The most fibrant initiative of the past decade in the context has been the Manufacturing Automation Protocol (MAP) propagated by General Motors. MAP is aiming at the creation of Local Area Networks (LANs) that are independent of the proprietary solutions of individual suppliers. In the report, it is asked whether MAP can figure as a model for user-initiated and user-guided standardization; whether the whole MAP initiative implies a specific view on CIM; and what the likelihood is that an open systems standard such as MAP might prevail in the factory of the future. The way international standardization is managed by different interest groups will to a large extent influence the outcome of the process and, therefore, is closely watched in the report.