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doi:10.1016/j.rc

Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing 22 (2006) 397–398

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Editorial

Editorial for the Special Issue of RCIM for FAIM 200515th International Conference on Flexible Automation and IntelligentManufacturing, University of Deusto, July 18–20, 2005, Bilbao, Spain

Today, manufacturers are competing in a global,dynamic marketplace that demands excellence in qualityand service, throughput, innovativeness, flexibility inproduction, short response time to changing markets, andprofitable margins. Manufacturers must stay current and atthe same time master emerging and rapidly advancingtechnologies in order to remain competitive. They arechallenged to achieve short product development cycles,expend product lines, and combat shrinking product life-cycles in a global economy marked by rapid fluctuationsand increasing competition.

This special issue of Robotics and Computer-IntegratedManufacturing contains selected papers from the 15thInternational Conference on Flexible Automation andIntelligent Manufacturing (FAIM 2005), organized bythe University of Deusto in July 2005, Bilbao, Spain.Authors from 35 countries presented 110 papers at theconference. FAIM 2005 is dedicated to advanced technol-ogies, computer-integrated product and process develop-ment, and organizational methods that meet changingmanufacturing-related conditions. This special issue ad-dresses research and applications of a few of thesetechnologies and methods to help improve the manufactur-ing environment from both the industrial and academicperspectives.

All papers for consideration of publication in thisspecial issue have been carefully selected from the 110papers based on the review results for conference paperpublication. Following extensions, the selected papershave been thoroughly refereed again by at least tworeviewers. Twenty papers have been finally acceptedand included herein, which represent approximately 18%of the FAIM 2005 conference papers. The intentionis to publish a peer-reviewed collection of FAIM con-ference papers each year in a special edition of the RCIMjournal.

As demonstrated by the articles in this edition, theFAIM 2005 conference puts a focus on current research,best practices, and future trends within the areas of globalcompetitiveness and rapidly advancing technologies in

e front matter r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

im.2006.05.001

flexible automation and intelligent manufacturing. Theconference covers the following themes:

�

Concurrent and Simultaneous Enterprise Re-engineer-ing � Intelligent Manufacturing Systems � Simulation Modelling and Applications � Production Planning and Scheduling � Automation Technology � Economics and Performance Measurement of Automa-

tion

� Reliability and Maintenance Management in Auto-

mated Factory

� ERP and Supply Chain Systems � Capita Selecta in Related Manufacturing � Next Generation in Manufacturing � Manufacturing Education

The FAIM 2005 conference proceedings were publishedby the University of Deusto Press in two volumes of 982pages (Vol. 1—ISBN:84-7485-991-3; Vol. 2—ISBN:84-7485-992-1) and in a CD-ROM. The editors of theproceedings are Dr. Esther Alvarez, Prof. Jalal Ashayeri,Prof. William Sullivan, and Prof. Munir Ahmad.For those who are not familiar with the FAIM

conference series, we provide a brief historical sketchbelow.FAIM conference series have a rich and time-tested

tradition of excellence culminating in the FAIM 2005conference in Bilbao, Spain. The first conference, ‘‘FactoryAutomation and Information Management’’, was hostedin March 1991 by the University of Limerick, Ireland.Authors from more than 18 countries contributed over 100papers. The second conference, ‘‘Flexible Automation andInformation Management’’, was hosted by Virginia Techin Washington, DC, in June 1992. The third conference,‘‘Flexible Automation and Integrated Manufacturing’’,was hosted in June 1993 by the University of Limerick,Ireland. The fourth conference was held at Virginia Tech inBlacksburg, Virginia, in May 1994. Since then, the focus of

ARTICLE IN PRESSEditorial / Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing 22 (2006) 397–398398

FAIM changes to ‘‘Flexible Automation and IntelligentManufacturing’’. The fifth conference was held at theFraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing and Management,University of Stuttgart, Germany, in June 1995. The sixthinternational conference was conducted in May 1996 atGeorgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Theseventh FAIM conference was sponsored by the EuropeanProcess Industries Competitiveness Centre (EPICC) at theUniversity of Teesside in Middlesbrough, United King-dom, in June 1997. FAIM’98 was sponsored by PortlandState University in Portland, Oregon, with generousassistance from Oregon State University and the OregonCentre for Advanced Technology Education. FAIM’99was hosted by Tilburg University in the Netherlands, andFAIM 2000 was organized by the University of Marylandin College Park, Maryland. FAIM 2001 returned to Irelandat Dublin City University in July of 2001. FAIM 2002 washosted by the Dresden University of Technology inDresden, Germany. Recently, FAIM 2003 was organizedby University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, andFAIM 2004 was hosted by Ryerson University in Toronto,Canada. This series of FAIM conferences have beenproviding a broad forum for practitioners and academicsto exchange ideas and network for 15 years. The nextFAIM conference, FAIM 2006, will come back to theUniversity of Limerick, Ireland.

The aims of both the RCIM journal and the FAIMconference series are to present innovative research and tofocus on state-of-the-art trends within the general areas of

flexible automation, information management, and intelli-gent manufacturing.We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the

authors for the time and effort they spent in writing theirpapers, and for complying with referees’ and GuestEditors’ comments in revising their manuscripts. We wouldalso like to express our special gratitude to the referees,who evaluated the papers included in the special issue andmade valuable comments for improving the quality of thepapers.Finally, we would like to gratefully acknowledge the

trust and support provided by Prof. William Sullivan andProf. Munir Ahmad, founders of the FAIM conferenceseries and Associate Editors of the RCIM journal, in theprocess of compiling this special issue.

Guest Editors

Esther AlvarezFaculty of Engineering, University of Deusto,

Avda. Universidades, 24, Bilbao 48012, Spain

E-mail address: ealvarez@eside.deusto.es

Jalal AshayeriFaculty of Economics and Business Administration,

Tilburg University, Warandelaan 2, 5000 LE Tilburg,

The Netherlands

E-mail address: j.ashayeri@uvt.nl