Mechatronics the Japanese way

Motivated by key economic and commercial pressures Japan´s industry has changed in ways which may not have been apparent to many UK engineers. This has resulted in significant reorganisation and reduction in manpower by natural wastage. Mechatronics has increased substantially in products and production processes. Mechatronics in products, the multi-disciplinary application of electronics and mechanics, now includes other disciplines such as chemical, biochemical, communication and telecommunications. Production systems have become even more flexible with greater throughput, more complexity, fewer people and inventory. This paper discusses the key drivers for change and reviews what had altered