Automation Project

This project focused on examples of automated technologies in the process industries which affect the character of the enterprise as a whole in its external as well as its internal relations. A series of organisations were chosen in which a high level of automation has been established for different lengths of time.

The project included exploratory initial visits of between 1-3 days to twenty organisations. Following these visits, four fims were selected for more prolonged case studies. These firms focused on transfer assembly (Vauxhall Motors Ltd), and automatic process control (International Synthetic Rubber Company Ltd; Cortaulds Ltd; Van den Bergh and Jurgens Ltd). The project ran for two years (1959-1960), as a continuation of the Institute's previous work in the field of socio-technical systems in the field of mining and the textile industries.

Staff working on this project included Fred Emery, Hugh Murray and Eric Miller (Principal Project Officers); P J Herbst and G J Hutton (Project Officers). David Armstong and Julius Marek joined the project as Project Officers, following the departure of Herbst and Hutton from the Institute.

1956-1962

5 boxes