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CIM - Computer Integrated Manufacturing

A computer-automated system in which individual engineering, marketing, production, and support functions of a manufacturing enterprise are organized. Functional areas such as design, planning, analysis, purchasing, inventory control, cost accounting, and distribution are linked through the computer with factory functions such as materials handling and management, providing direct control and monitoring of all process operations.

CIM (Computer Integrated Manufacturing) is not no-human factory, but it helps to improve work efficiency and achieve maximum capacity.

CIM is not a software itself, it's a name for operation which use some or all of the following subsystems

There are three major challenges to development of a smoothly operating CIM system

  • Integration of components from different suppliers: When different machines, such as CNC, conveyors and robots, are using different communications protocols. In the case of AGVs, even differing lengths of time for charging the batteries may cause problems.
  • Data integrity: The higher the degree of automation, the more critical is the integrity of the data used to control the machines. While the CIM system saves on labor of operating the machines, it requires extra human labor in ensuring that there are proper safeguards for the data signals that are used to control the machines.
  • Process control: Computers may be used to assist the human operators of the manufacturing facility, but there must always be a competent engineer on hand to handle circumstances which could not be foreseen by the designers of the control software.

Because of verry high costs many factories/companies use only few subsystems from whole CIM system. Most popular is CAD and CAM called CAD/CAM system. It's enaught to design and launch a new product. Another popular subsystem is CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) which can save huge ammount of time and resources when it's time to test new product (for example crash tests).