Many shops have implemented computerized systems to gather data for production reporting, quality control, statistical process control (SPC), and tool management. Stephen Birman, president of High Tech Research Inc. of Deerfield, Illinois, believes one knowledge-based system that integrates all of these functions can create a level of operational control that delivers otherwise unattainable benefits. Not surprisingly, this holistic concept is behind the Micronite software that his company offers.

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