Book excerpt: Control and Dynamic Systems: Advances in Theory and Applications, Volume 46: Manufacturing and Automation Systems: Techniques and Technologies, Part 2 of 5 covers the significant advances and issues on the utilization of techniques and technologies in the manufacturing industries. This volume is divided into nine chapters and starts with the essential issue of software in manufacturing systems, particularly the aspects of the control software that are active in the time-critical or real time portions of the machine's operation. The succeeding chapters deal with the interactions between material-handling systems and other components of manufacturing systems; the principles of flexible manufacturing systems; the various views on the contributions of mechatronics; and the techniques for machine layout optimization in manufacturing and automation systems. These topics are followed by discussions of the application of a real-time control system to address issues of safety, productivity advances, and production cost reductions. Other chapters consider the influence of human supervisory control of predominantly automated manufacturing processes and the techniques for the manufacturing systems integration. The final chapter examines the major importance of the assembly line balancing to manufacturing systems. This book is of great value to process and mechanical engineers, as well as process control workers and researchers.