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Editorial from the July 2008 issue of Managing Automation

Who Are Today's Influential Thinkers?

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Abstract:MA profiles seven thought leaders who are defining and advancing trends that are likely to have a lasting effect on manufacturing practices and technology.
Keywords:lean production, sustainable manufacturing, digital factory, software architecture, open manufacturing standards, predictive maintenance

Edwards Deming, Shigeo Shingo, Richard Morley, Eliyahu Goldratt. These are prominent names that would have to be included in anyone's pantheon of manufacturing thought leaders from the last century. Each, in his own way, originated or significantly advanced important new ideas on which the most progressive manufacturers rely even today to run their businesses.

But who are the thought leaders in manufacturing today? Which individuals are coming up with the big ideas that will influence the next generation of manufacturers?

Recently, the editors of Managing Automation set out to answer that question. First we isolated six major trends that we expect will have big impacts on manufacturing and manufacturing technology for years to come. In the end, we decided to focus on sustainable manufacturing, software architectures, lean production, predictive maintenance, open manufacturing standards, and the digital factory.

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