"Let's face it, the concept of applying computers to entire materials handling systems, envisioned over 15 years ago, is still far from an accomplished fact. Yet, things are being done today that were not believed possible only 5 years ago. A great deal of real progress has been made and sound experience has accumulated. What is needed now is to bring it all together, and to view it in the perspective of today."

While the first sentence clearly doesn't apply to all systems, that quote is a fair assessment of where we are today. But what's more remarkable is that it appeared in the pages of Modern Materials Handling 25 years ago this month.

Which brings up an interesting question - Just what is the "perspective of today" on the seamless integration of information systems and materials handling? While we're clearly further along than 25 years ago, there remains a core challenge of making all the right connections within the four walls of a facility, not to mention across the supply chain.

For some companies, the disconnects are truly profound. At the recent Manugistics users group meeting, chairman and CEO Greg Owens explained to our Bob Trebilcock that C-level executives are creating a vision of how their supply chain will work in the future. It's only then that they find out bar codes are not used in any of their operations. The vision and the reality couldn't be further apart.

Fortunately, many facilities have more of the right tools. But even these are struggling to make all the right connections. They have ways to collect and share information but lack connections between all of the critical points of activity and decision making.

Take something as simple as radio frequency data communications. RFDC has long provided a wireless link between workers with terminals and various information systems. But a manager, for instance, was typically out of the loop once out on the shop or warehouse floor. Recent developments in wireless local area networks are changing that predicament as the Equipment Report explains. And ready to make the right connections here is new hardware such as PDA's, mobile computers, and even phones.

Further up the food chain is the manufacturing execution system (MES). As this month's IT Report points out, manufacturers have spent significant dollars on enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and on automating activities on the shop floor. But the two still aren't connected in most cases. Furthermore, there's a similar disconnect between the shop floor and the warehouse. An MES offers the opportunity to make those connections.

But the situation here goes beyond MES. In fact, it is so widespread that last month GE Cisco Industrial Networks announced an alliance with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young to deliver, what they call, adaptive manufacturing solutions. "Bridging the system-wide gap between manufacturing shop-floor operations and ERP systems, this new, fully integrated solution enables real-time visibility and decision making by allowing companies to be better connected, responsive and managed across their business enterprise," said the companies in a press release.

As you can see, we're a long way off from making all the right connections. But it does have people's attention. And if we're lucky, it won't take us another 25 years to get there.