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The costs of alternative methods of storing data have changed significantly as electronic systems have evolved. Moreover, we expect the average level of costs to continue falling over the next decade as technical change continues. Electronic systems are becoming closer substitutes for traditional ways of storing information in libraries. This issue's column examines the storage capacity of a wide array of representative storage devices in terms of the number of billions of characters or bytes of information—that is, gigabytes of storage—and each system's costs. The cost per gigabyte (GB) of storage varies by several orders of magnitude in ways that have important implications for the evolution of libraries over the next decade.

Last April International Computers introduced a new range of mainframe computers which represented a major advance in design and presented a new challenge to efficient manufacturing. At the same time the company introduced the first stage of a three‐ stage development in manufacturing methods for the new computers at its Ashton‐under‐Lyne factory. Implementation of the important second stage is now virtually complete, and the company is now working towards the final phase of what it believes to be the most advanced computer production line in use today.

“A Canadian company required information on a process in Switzerland. Since data were too complicated to obtain by mail a vice‐president of the company was assigned to make a trip. The company librarian hearing of this situation accidentally made a search and produced the information from the company's own files.”

The purpose of this paper is to examine and model the in-plant operational efficiency of tow trucks of an automobile manufacturing plant. Even though, tow trucks contribute toward the improvement of operational performance, little case-based evidence prevail in the literature. For this purpose, a case study has been conducted in an Indian automobile manufacturer to address the prevailing issues in material handling (MH).

Initially, this paper focuses on grouping of the sequence parts and finding the shortest path among the groups. To elucidate this, an analytical framework based on the distance and stuffing quantity is proposed. A fuzzy Dijkstra’s algorithm is used to solve the issues in grouping of the sequence parts and shortest path among the groups.

This study addressed the four aspects of MH: move cost, time, distance and material by integrating the function of grouping, finding the shortest path and communication with low cost devices. The result shows that logistics routes and activities should not be interrupted by any of the external factors. The availability of stock is a key performance variable to attain efficiency. In addition to this, effective communication between the truck operators and the production line managers is key performance indicator.

The paper helps the automobile practitioners on increasing the efficiency of tow truck by systemizing the routes. Logistics routes and activities should not be interrupted by any of the external factors. The availability of stock is a key performance variable to attain efficiency. In addition to this, effective communication between the truck operators and the line managers is key performance indicator.

MR. R. A. Butler's remark about doubling our living standards within the next twenty‐five years has a secure place in contemporary political obiter dicta. It suffers from being the kind of comment that is remembered long after any qualifying context has been forgotten.

With the falling prices and increasing sophistication of small computer systems the use of computers in the management of large numbers of lifts has become a practical reality. This article deals with possible changes within existing lift management situations. The planning of new installations will be covered in a future article bringing us another step closer to the intelligent building. The operation of lifts within one or more buildings can be thought of as a hierarchy of functions. At the bottom of the hierarchy, the most basic function is to move a single lift from floor to floor responding to calls registered by passengers. At the next level, that of Group Control, passenger calls on different landing levels are assigned amongst the individual lifts in a group of lifts according to pre‐programmed rules (known as an Algorithm). Lift management is the long term process by which the operation of all the lifts in several groups is optimised and then maintained at a peak of performance. Lift management is thus the top level of the hierarchy and allows the operation of the lifts to be continually ‘tailored’ to the building in which they are located. Without lift management the occupants of the building must ‘tailor’ their requirements to the service provided by the lifts.

Research shows that customer management is seen as a problem contributing to increased complexity, yet its benefits are understood. Discusses specific measures to reinvigorate innovative processes and streamline management.

Certain models of the new Vauxhall Vectra passenger car are being manufactured at Ellesmere Port where there is a completely new bodyshop with an installed population of some 660 Fanuc robots.

Two models of the Vauxhall Vectra passenger car are now manufactured at Ellesmere Port, UK where there is a completely new bodyshop with over 600 Fanuc robots. John Mortimer reports.

The purpose of the study is to assess the environmental and socio‐economic impacts and risks of climate change through GIS database management system (DBMS) on land use‐informatics and climate‐informatics. The Dabka watershed constitutes a part of the Kosi Basin in the Lesser Himalaya, India in district Nainital has been selected for the case illustration.

Land use‐informatics consists of land use mapping and change diction, i.e. decadal changes and annual changes. Climate‐informatics consists of climate change detection through daily, monthly and annual weather data for a period of 25 years.

The exercise revealed that oak and pine forests have decreased, respectively, by 25 percent (4.48 km²) and 3 percent (0.28 km²) thus bringing a decline of 4.76 km² forest in the watershed during 1990 to 2010. But, due to climate change the mixed forest taking place of oak forest in certain pockets and consequently the mixed forest in the catchment increased by 18 percent (2.3 km²) during the same period which reduced the overall loss of forests in the region but its not eco‐friendly as the oak forest. Barren land increased 1.21 km² (56 percent), riverbed increased 0.78 km² (52 percent) and cultivated land increased about 0.63 km² (3 percent) during the period of 1990 to 2010. Out of the total seven classes of the land use land cover, five classes (i.e. Oak, Pine, Mixed, Barren and Riverbed) are being changed dominantly due to climate change factor and anthropogenic factors plays a supporting role whereas only two classes (scrub land and agricultural land) are being changed dominantly by anthropogenic factors and climate change factors plays a supporting role. Expansion of mixed forest land brought out due to upslope shifting of existing forest species due to climate change factor only because upslope areas getting warmer than past with the rate of 9°C‐12°C/two decades. Consequently, the results concluded that the high rate of land use change accelerating several environmental problems such as high runoff, flash flood, river‐line flood and soil erosion during monsoon season and drought during non‐monsoon period. These environmental problems cause great loss to life and property and poses serious threat to the process of development with have far‐reaching economic and social consequences.

This study generated primary data on land use‐informatics and climate‐informatics to integrate each‐other for impact assessment and mitigation through sustainable land use as constitutes a part of a multidisciplinary project, Department of Science and Technology (D.S.T.) Government of India.