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Chapter 5
Fission and Fusion
in the e-Factory
Purpose of This Chapter
There are several forces that are conspiring today to create massive change in
the allocation of where value is added in the supply chain and in the factory
environment. These forces are created by economic trends, technological
advances, global competitive pressures, and new strategic thinking. These forces
are causing transformations that on one hand are causing functions, business
processes, corporate structures, and even industries to disassemble (i.e., the
fission part of the formula); and on the other hand, these forces are also causing
transformations that see new types ...