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UK government sponsors MAP awareness schemes
UK government sponsors MAP awaro Three government-sponsored bodies are promoting initiatives aimed at providing UK industry with a 'technical forum' on multivendor computer communications, in particular the Manufacturing Automation Protocol (MAP) and technical office protocol (TOP) schemes, and their role in advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) generally. As part of its advanced manufacturing awareness programme, the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)is underwriting a £5.5M MAP demonstration to be held on I - 5 December 1986 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. The DTI has also begun moves towards setting up a MAP test and conformance centre, awarding a contract for joint work between the UK National Computer Centre and University of Leeds Industrial Services Ltd to define the requirements for establishing such a centre. In addition, the British Standards Institution (BSl) has announced that it has consolidated all its AMT activities into a single coherent programme under a new standards committee to be known as AMT/-. The trend in industrial automation is to link 'islands of technology' such as machine tools, robots or engineering workstations on the shop floor, providing fully integrated systems under computer control. The MAP/TOP schemes are intended to enable effective communication between these 'islands'. For example US car manufacturer General Motors (GM), which launched MAP, estimates that it uses 40000 intelligent shop floor devices in its 'islands', and forecasts that this figure will rise to 200 000 by the end of the decade. Furthermore, GM claims that 85% of the devices installed today are 'incompatible', i.e. they share no common communication standard. MAP was introduced as the company's solution to this problem. Over 50 competing companies are to collaborate in the 'live' MAP network demonstration, including IBM, ICL, DEC, British Telecom, Intel, Motorola and manufacturing
4"10
Butcher: ~/ital tool competitiveness"
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achieving
companies such as British Aerospace, Jaguar Cars, Lucas and Unilever. Announcing the demonstration, the UK government's industry under secretary John Butcher said that the project is 'an example of UK initiative which is setting the pace for the rest of the world'. Alarm has been expressed by some sources, however, that the UK is lagging in converting to computer integrated manufacturing. GM is reported to be using the technology already in three US bus and truck plants, and by 1988 it will build its first cars using MAP as the sole communication specification. GM claims that all its plants will be MAP compatible within five years. Butcher went on to say that the demonstration was important to alert UK manufacturers to the emergence of multivendor computer communications; to encourage vendors of AMT equipment to recognize the importance of MAP and TOP in opening up their products to wider markets; and to establish a pool of expertise in the UK in planning, implementation and conformance testing for the emerging communications systems. Directing his comments at company managers, Butcher remarked that: 'It is open to any company to compete on a world scale. I believe that this communications technology provides management with a vital tool in achieving competitiveness.' MAP is one example of many unconnected worldwide initiatives
schemes
providing individual standards which are slowly converging to provide a unified framework for the development of advanced manufacturing technology. Initial graphics exchange specification (IGES) for CADCAM data exchange is another example. Recognizing this, BSl has formed the AMT/committee to provide industry with information and guidance on the current status of all emerging AMT standards. The scope of AMT/- includes: numerically controlled machine tools, robotics, control languages for manufacturing equipment, CADCAM data exchange, reference models for AMT, mechanical and electrical standards for AMT equipment, interdevice commumcation, process control and coordinate measuring, Each area will be served by a specialist technical committee. Through the pooled expertise on the committee, BSI hopes to be able to influence the development of international standards through its membership of the International Standards Organization (ISO) and other world standards bodies. According to BSI, what is emerging are loose, de facto industry standards that are 'snapshots' of a fast moving technology. Due to the ponderous procedures for obtaining formal approval of ISO drafts for publication as standards, the BSI says it will make 'relatively stable' approved drafts available as 'drafts for development' (DDs) even though these may change prior to the publication of the standard. A list of DDs and British Standards for OSI, local area networks and computer graphics is available from British Standards Institution, 2 Park Street. London WTA 2BS, UK. Tel: 01-629 9000, • A multivendor factory communications and MAP demonstration will be featured at the 1986 International Symposium on Automotive Technology and Automation (ISATA), the organizers have announced. The symposium, which is being held on 6-10 October at Flims in Switzerland, will focus on computer integrated manufac.turing. [Z]
micropr~:essors and microsystems
4"10
Butcher: ~/ital tool competitiveness"
in
achieving
companies such as British Aerospace, Jaguar Cars, Lucas and Unilever. Announcing the demonstration, the UK government's industry under secretary John Butcher said that the project is 'an example of UK initiative which is setting the pace for the rest of the world'. Alarm has been expressed by some sources, however, that the UK is lagging in converting to computer integrated manufacturing. GM is reported to be using the technology already in three US bus and truck plants, and by 1988 it will build its first cars using MAP as the sole communication specification. GM claims that all its plants will be MAP compatible within five years. Butcher went on to say that the demonstration was important to alert UK manufacturers to the emergence of multivendor computer communications; to encourage vendors of AMT equipment to recognize the importance of MAP and TOP in opening up their products to wider markets; and to establish a pool of expertise in the UK in planning, implementation and conformance testing for the emerging communications systems. Directing his comments at company managers, Butcher remarked that: 'It is open to any company to compete on a world scale. I believe that this communications technology provides management with a vital tool in achieving competitiveness.' MAP is one example of many unconnected worldwide initiatives
schemes
providing individual standards which are slowly converging to provide a unified framework for the development of advanced manufacturing technology. Initial graphics exchange specification (IGES) for CADCAM data exchange is another example. Recognizing this, BSl has formed the AMT/committee to provide industry with information and guidance on the current status of all emerging AMT standards. The scope of AMT/- includes: numerically controlled machine tools, robotics, control languages for manufacturing equipment, CADCAM data exchange, reference models for AMT, mechanical and electrical standards for AMT equipment, interdevice commumcation, process control and coordinate measuring, Each area will be served by a specialist technical committee. Through the pooled expertise on the committee, BSI hopes to be able to influence the development of international standards through its membership of the International Standards Organization (ISO) and other world standards bodies. According to BSI, what is emerging are loose, de facto industry standards that are 'snapshots' of a fast moving technology. Due to the ponderous procedures for obtaining formal approval of ISO drafts for publication as standards, the BSI says it will make 'relatively stable' approved drafts available as 'drafts for development' (DDs) even though these may change prior to the publication of the standard. A list of DDs and British Standards for OSI, local area networks and computer graphics is available from British Standards Institution, 2 Park Street. London WTA 2BS, UK. Tel: 01-629 9000, • A multivendor factory communications and MAP demonstration will be featured at the 1986 International Symposium on Automotive Technology and Automation (ISATA), the organizers have announced. The symposium, which is being held on 6-10 October at Flims in Switzerland, will focus on computer integrated manufac.turing. [Z]
micropr~:essors and microsystems