The PROMISE technologies are a new type of “Closed-Loop Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) using Smart Embedded Systems,” which allow tracking of product information at all times and in any location around the world.

This new closed-loop PLM—developed and validated in the Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS) project PROMISE—enables product users, maintainers, and manufacturers to manage the life cycle information of their products seamlessly over all life cycle phases.

Better understanding of product life cycles leads to process improvements and to reduced total product costs; better product quality; improved supply chain efficiency; and better rebuilding and recycling choices. This book provides industrial users, as well as the broad R&D community with an understanding of the principles behind the PROMISE technologies, their successful implementation in the PROMISE demonstrators, and their enormous potential to improve competitive advantage across the industrial spectrum.

Several PROMISE project partners from countries around the world have contributed to the production of this unique book and O3neida thanks them, one and all, for their strong collaboration in producing this excellent compendium and for their continuing contribution to product life cycle information management.

In partnership with O3neida, this volume is the latest in a series of books on automation technologies that was introduced in 2008 when the first book, IEC 61499 Function Blocks for Embedded and Distributed Control Systems Design, by Dr. Valeriy Vyatkin, was published.