Systems Engineering in the Glass Industry

A survey of current trends of systems engineering in the glass industry is presented. The central theme is that systems engineering is the technique through which the process of our time-the information revolution exemplified by the digital computer-is exerting its impact on the industry. Systems engineering is examined and basic concepts reviewed, and the production system is defined as a pyramidal, hierarchical structure. Process models which have been developed primarily for control purposes are reviewed; examples of theoretically or experimentally developed models are given. In computer control applications, a major trend is seen toward extensive integrated real-time information-processing systems consisting of several computers connected through a communication network. The development of the human components in the production system, particularly management structure, is considered as an essential aspect of the overall system development.