Glossary

A commodity is a product that is the same no matter who produces it, such as petroleum, copper or milk.

Component Supplier Management (CSM) is an approach in which organized product information supports choice of standard parts and production processes, and reuse of existing designs. Widely used in the high-tech industry, CSM encourages use of parts which have more than one supplier, and helps avoid proliferation of components and suppliers.

Composite materials (or composites for short) are engineered materials made from two or more constituent materials. There are numerous composites, but common composites are advanced thermoset systems, usually incorporating aramid fibre and carbon fibre in an epoxy resin matrix.

Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is used both for historic review and future business planning. CAGR converts the up-and-down nature of most investment and market value curves into a single figure. The CAGR is the annual percentage growth rate which, if it occurred every year over the time period being reviewed or forecast, would convert the initial value into the final value.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) uses mathematics and software to simulate and visualize the behaviour of gases and liquids. Most practical problems can only be solved by treating the fluid as a large number of connected cells, calculating a small step change for each cell, and repeating the calculation for the next step.

Computer Aided Design (CAD) is the use of computer technology to help design engineers develop and specify a component or product. Some CAD systems are specific to particular disciplines, for example, shipbuilding, or process plant. General purpose systems support both two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) representations, and are often linked to other systems which use product information.

Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) is the use of computer technology for analysis and error-checking of a design. This may include strength performance and manufacturability assessment.

Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) systems use computers to help develop instructions and programs for automated manufacturing equipment. Programs are downloaded to the equipment, and, due to historic pre-network capabilities, are sometimes referred to as ‘tapes’.

Computer Aided Process Planning (CAPP): Software-based systems that aid manufacturing engineers in creating a process plan to manufacture a product whose geometric, electronic, and other characteristics have been captured in a CAD database. CAPP systems address such manufacturing criteria as target costs, target lead times, anticipated production volumes, availability of equipment, production routings, opportunity for material substitution, and test requirements.

Computer Aided Production Engineering (CAPE): Software used to model the factory, production line or work cell layout to simulate production processes and generate efficient operations plans and train operators.

Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) refers to a variety of approaches in which computer systems communicate or interoperate over a local-area network.

Typically, CIM systems link management functions with engineering, manufacturing, and support operations. In the factory, CIM systems may control the sequencing of production operations, control operation of automated equipment and conveyor systems, transmit manufacturing instructions, capture data at various stages of the manufacturing or assembly process, facilitate tracking and analysis of test results and operating parameters, or a combination of these.

Computer Numerical Control (CNC) allows control of motion of a manufacturing machine in an accurate and programmable manner. Machine controllers with this capability were originally called ‘numerical controls’ and this name persists.

Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) are software-based systems that analyze operating conditions of production equipment (vibration, oil analysis, heat, etc) and equipment-failure data, and also apply that data to the scheduling of maintenance and repair.

Computerized Process Simulation is the use of computer simulation to facilitate sequencing of production operations, analysis of production flows, and layout of manufacturing facilities.