AUTOMATION AND TECHNOLOGY HAVE GIVEN FACTORY MANAGEMENT THE TOOLS THEY HAVE ALWAYS DREAMED ABOUT. THE INTEGRATION OF ROBOTICS INTO THE WELDING PROCESS IS A TRADEOFF OF TECHNOLOGY VERSUS QUALITY, WITH COST BEING THE PRIMARY FACTOR, WHICH REQUIRES STRATEGIC PLANNING AND CAREFUL EXECUTION. THIS PAPER DESCRIBES A SIMULTANEOUS ENGINEERING APPROACH TO ENSURING THE PROPER INTEGRATION OF PEOPLE, PROCESSES AND MACHINES.
