All-Embracing Production Control

Abstract

Technology is affected by the capability of the available tools, and the imagination of those who build and drive it. For many years production management was built around a chain-of-activities philosophy. In this chain-of-activities approach there are hierarchical levels, where each level has a specific task to perform. Each level receives input that acts as constraints, performs its algorithms by some method, and generates output. The output of a certain level (stage) acts as an input to the next level. The main production planning stages and their tasks are as follows.

Dr. Gideon Halevi received his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel (1952), his M.Sc. in ME from the University of Pennsylvania (1959), and his Doctor of Science in Technology from the Technion, Haifa, Israel (1973). Dr. Halevi is an adjunct Professor at the Technion (1981) teaching mostly graduate students on the CAD/CAM field. For more than 30 years he was employed by the Israel Military Industries in production development, combined technical operations, Data Processing Manager and Director of CAD/CAM Research and Development. In 1983 he formed a company, Hal Robotics, for the purpose of developing products required to implement Ail-Embracing Technology. He has published a book on the role of computers in manufacturing processes. He is the Chairman Elect of CASA-RI/SME, Israel Chapter, a member of the CIRP, the Israeli representative to IFIP TC 5 and many other public activities.