Integrating Information Technologies and Knowledge-based Systems: A Theoretical Approach in Action for Enhancements in Production and Inventory Control

The heightened focus of global competition has increased the necessity of manufacturing in combination with information technologies to continuously improve production flexibility and product quality, delivery and cost. Coupled with uncertainty and delays in information transmission lags, this increased focus has also created confusion and difficulties in production and inventory control management. Many manufacturers have abandoned the simple make-tostock environments in favor of more complex make-to-order, configure-to-order, and engineerto-order. At the heart of this range of options is the information technology (IT) that makes it all possible. Of the most popular new technologies for supporting production and inventory control (PIC) are solver technologies, intelligent decision support systems, and knowledge-based systems. This paper discusses the integration of IT and knowledge management (KM) and the future trends in KM that are likely to impact PIC. Copyright # 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.