Some 22 years ago I wrote a 50 page paper on computer integrated manufacturing, CIM. In that paper I discussed AI, MRP, DRP, ERP, Technical doumentation, CAPP, CAD/CAM etc… The focus was on massive manufacturing facilities and streamlining of the operations. Little did I think about the micronization of circuits let alone the minaturization of business operations.
An emerging industry is desktop fabrication. Numerous products are already available to setup a shop that include CNC lathes, milling, drilling, laser cutting, and other manufacturing operations. The vision is for mobile manufacturing and garage fabrication. These home based manufacturing units will take advantage of the internet and logistical networks. They will buy virtual services such as accounting, marketing/sales, customer service, legal, engineering, and human resources that may be outsourced to places like India.
What was once a large organization is now quickly becoming a geographically dispersed virtual business and utter destruction of the cubical farm or Corporate America as it once was.
The vision is staggering for United States citizens who once had highly stable jobs, retirements, and outrageous health care benefits. Now they must fend for themselves establishing businesses. Its oddly a return to a 2000 year old economy where people go to market, compete, and revenue is based on a persons ability to end a conversation with an exclamation point!
Or is it a return to an older way? Will people conduct face-to-face dialogues? will they be forced to develop conversation skills once again? Or will the internet mask people? Will human centric devices increase the distance between people? Is this desktop revolution going to be a boon or bust for the United States?