Manufacturing Systems Research: Where are the Boundaries?

Abstract

This paper supports project based research and agrees with the view that it is impossible to draw a boundary around a group of subsystems in the real world so as to research only these. All aspects of the manufacturing system including strategy, management style and organisational structure are involved potentially. Project based research has produced little in the way of generalisable results, and in some cases is difficult to distinguish from management consultancy. What needs to be understood better are the methodologies of a general nature. The main movements are likely to be away from calculation towards data analysis and definition, and away from mathematical models towards formal descriptive models.

Citation

Waterlow, J.G. (1983), "Manufacturing Systems Research: Where are the Boundaries?", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 49-59. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb054702