Historical survey and emerging challenges of manufacturing automation modeling and control - A global perspective

Manufacturing and logistics are fundamental to civilization progress since ancient times. They have been and still serve as important engines of economic, social, cultural and environmental health and sustainability, both locally and globally. Automatic control of manufacturing and logistics has also played a valuable role in this progress. A major dual challenge in manufacturing and logistics systems has always been the need to address simultaneously the multidisciplinary systemic control of technical, human, and natural variables, and overcoming conflicts and emergencies to control safety, resilience and sustainability responsibilities. The purpose of this presentation is to survey historically and with global perspective, with illustrations and case-studies the key developments in the automatic control of manufacturing and logistics, and the emerging challenges. Overall, as in many areas, automatic control of manufacturing and logistics has evolved with the developments of human scientific knowledge and education, social organization, and computing and communication advances. In general, the purpose of the automatic control has always been to support the well-being of humans and societies. Past challenges included separation and imprecision of machines and processes, due to reliance on simpler machines, instruments and sensors, and little or no feedback; lack of flexibility, networking, and integration; and reliance mostly on manual supervision of machines and factories. Over the years, improvements enabled better interoperability, connectivity, collaboration, flexibility and precision: Better human-machine and machine-machine interaction, interfacing, computer-based integration; more precise sensors and measurement devices; adaptive and predictive control models of higher complexity and accuracy; faster and wireless communication and effective networking that have enabled automated factories, robotics and transfer lines, regional and global supply chains and enterprises; and progress toward better, lower cost, environmentally sensitive and more resilient automation through internetworking, cloud manufacturing, Industrial Internet-of Things, and Cyber-Physical Systems of Systems. Significantly better precision in processing and sensors, and in computing and internetworking speed, have brought progress as well as challenges also in micro- and nano-manufacturing, virtual and additive manufacturing, and in precision of global logistics. The major dual challenge specific to complex manufacturing and logistics systems includes cutting edge obstacles in emerging machine-machine collaboration and collaborative robots; innovative design and materials; machine learning and smart factories; interoperability languages and standards; distributed multi-agent control and holonic control; and better collaborative control for error and conflict prevention in increasingly complex systems, infrastructure, smart grids, and global networks. They offer the next generation of our automatic control community interesting theoretical and socially significant frontiers.