7. Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) Electronically guided and controlled carts used for movement of products and/or individuals 8. Flexi le manufact ring systems (FMSs) Computer controls both the workstation and the material handling equipment Enhance flexibility and reduced waste Can economically produce low volume but high variety Reduced changeover time and increased utilization Stringent communication requirement between components 9. Computer-integrated manufacturing (C_M) Extend flexible manufacturing Backward to engineering and inventory control Forward into warehousing and shipping Reduces the distinction between low-vol high-variety, and high-vol low-variety production Technology blurs the traditional oundaries y enabling ompanies to efficiently cu tomie output, reducing the cost and/or time penalties that would inherently be incurred for operating off the optimal defined by the diagonal defined by the Product-Process Matrix. 5