PurposeThis paper aims to introduce some of the most important engineering, and information systems management principles and challenges, that radio frequency identification (RFID) researchers, implementers and users should keep in mind when developing such systems, and/or planning for such applications.Design/methodology/approachProvides a general review of RFID systems.FindingsRFID technologies with the appropriate IT infrastructure help both major distributors and manufacturers, as well as other logistics operations, such as the health‐care system, defense industries, and others, dealing with complex, global supply chains in which products and product shipments must be traced and identified in a non‐contact, wireless fashion using a computer network, because of cost, or security, or safety, or because parts are subject to corrosion, or food/medicine is subject to quality degradation, or other reasons. All of these requirements point to an automated, wireless‐readable sensory‐based identification method, and network, that offers more functionalities and is significantly “smarter” than the well known bar code or the unified product code. RFIDs are available as passive and/or active radio read/write sensor‐packages with active read (and often write) capabilities in relatively large areas (like a large distribution centre warehouse, or a containership), all performed automatically, supervised by computers and communicated in a wireless fashion over secure intranets. RFID represents great research, technology, as well as huge business opportunities.Practical implicationsRFID has the potential to change the way we do business all around the world. It is a huge challenge, not just because of the sophisticated sensor‐network technology, but also because of the vast systems integration and IT tasks ahead of us.Originality/valueReviews the current state‐of‐the‐art and future opportunities.

Multi‐arm, collaborative, synchronous robots are gaining acceptance in industry, because of the cycle time reduction, productivity increase, flexibility and quality gain, distributed control, layout design/simulation, and programming support robot manufacturers and system integrators can offer. On the negative side, when things go wrong such systems are more complex to recover, and maintain, than non‐networked and non‐distributed controlled individual robots. In this paper, we introduce some of the most important engineering, and technology management principles that collaborate robots and their users and should be kept in mind while developing such systems, and/or planning for such applications.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -To offer lean design and assembly principles with a focus on "monozukuri," meaning sustainable, environmentally friendly factories and products with simultaneously integrated product and process designs. Design/methodology/approach -Based on extensive study of products, processes and factories, 18 "monozukuri-focused" product, process, factory design and management principles are explained by the author. Findings -The rule-based approach to designing lean, sustainable, "monozukuri-focused" flexible products, processes, production systems and factories will reduce waste at all levels, and create new opportunities for satisfying dynamically changing market needs. Originality/value -Reveals 18 lean design and assembly line design and management principles with some practical industrial examples.

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Our main educational objective is to support the new, multi-faceted, dynamically changing learning experiences that real life imposes on us and on our students. We have to recognize that traditional, mass produced, highly controlled static and rigid educational methods cannot cope with the increased amount of information, knowledge and inferencing requirements of this rapidly changing world. The life cycle of critical design and manufacturing technologies is contracting. Concepts such as time-to-market, total quality management, local design, global manufacture, concurrent or simultaneous engineering, parallel design and manufacturing, intelligent design and intelligent manufacturing systems are widely accepted. These new technologies require multi-skilled and well-educated engineers and managers as well as flexible and feedback-controlled manufacturing technologies, such as cellular manufacture, computer-integrated manufacturing, concurrent engineering and flexible manufacturing system. It is important to recognize that we are living in an era when the customers, not the designers or salesmen, are the kings. Customers require increasingly better products at a lower cost. In other words, products require continuous improvement and change, therefore flexible design and manufacture and the appropriate level of automation must be provided throughout the life cycle of product development. In the education business the customers are the learners, i.e. students entering access courses, college and university courses, mature students who are prepared to study in the evenings at home, at the university, or in open learning centres. Furthermore, there are a large number of continuing education students and other professionals seeking new focused knowledge in this rapidly changing and extremely competitive world.