This paper finds the essential differences between objects in terms of available attributes in a knowledge representation system (KR-system) where neither condition nor decision attributes are distinguished. We find these differences by using the concepts of "almost indiscernibility relation"...

The purpose of this research effort, was to analyze whether the birth and development of assembly line research were driven by an industry/government "push" or by an academic "pull", examine the historical growth and decay patterns (life cycles) of assembly line research and publications, note...

Previous research has shown that the formation of temporary, logical manufacturing cells in a job shop, overcomes problems of high setup frequency typically found in job shops. In addition, this form of cellular configuration is more flexible than tranditional, group technology based cellular...