Evolution in Manufacturing Technology

According to Oxford Advanced Learner 8th Edition dictionary, manufacturing is defined as the business or industry of producing goods in large quantities in factories. The term technology is defined as machinery or equipment. Thus, manufacturing technology is the machinery or equipment used in business or industry of producing goods in mass in factories. A long time before machines were invented, the term is meant only for any production regardless of its quantity. Many historians concluded that the history of manufacturing technology started way back when Johann Guttenberg, a German started using movable typeface and printing press. From then onwards, many people started making inventions and started becoming inventors themselves. They were trying to come up with many new ways to make that their productions are more consistent, systematic and in greater speed. Sadly, their efforts took more than several centuries to achieve many success and results in slow evolution of manufacturing technologies. They are unable to catch up any other technologies during those times. Back then, the technologies were mostly contributed towards agricultural development in the rural areas that were organized by entrepreneurs in a few households. It was only during the industrial revolution in the European countries that the manufacturing sectors are really becoming the topic of the era. The industrial revolution (17601830) were considered the point of time when manufacturing technologies were really developing. Based on the book written by Alexander Hamilton, a Briton, in 1791 entitled Report on the Subject of Manufactures, the industrial revolution era was when people started calling production of products as manufacturing. It was the time when products were mass-produced in factories. In 1750s, China and India were world-renowned countries that majors on manufacturing technologies. India was the world leader in cotton textile manufacturing during that time due to their most advanced textile manufacturing technologies. One of the core values to Indias achievements in textile manufacturing was their innovation in making permanent dyes. Permanent dyes was most-sought after during those times because they were able to withstand being washed repeatedly. During 1780s, British textile manufacturers attempted to remake the same technologies in which they failed to do so. Later on during the industrial revolution, Britain and the other countries in Europe were starting to be industrialized whereas India and many other non-European countries were becoming vice versa. The British were able to create other manufacturing technologies that were becoming more and more important to the world. Hence, they were able to manufacture a larger scale of products ranging from electrical to foods.

Starting from the 1990s, manufacturing technologies achieved further advancement than ever. Automated robots are being used now to produce massive quantities of products throughout the world. Every countries are competing against each other to create more advanced and systematic manufacturing technologies so as to move alongside the worlds globalization.