Jonathan Aylen | The University of Manchester (original) (raw)
Papers by Jonathan Aylen
The American continuous wide strip rolling mill halved the cost, improved the quality and increas... more The American continuous wide strip rolling mill halved the cost, improved the quality and increased the size of steel sheets after 1926. These mills diffused rapidly in the USA to supply a growing market for autobodies, canstock and consumer goods. European steelmakers adopted this radical, large scale technology during the 1930?s. Pre-war adopters in Europe briefly interpreted strip mill technology to meet political priorities, market circumstances and local technical preferences. The UK steel industry bought standard mill designs directly from two US suppliers. Soviet and German adoption was shaped by political regimes of the time. The Soviet mill formed part of an ambitious industrialisation programme using foreign technology. Their continuous wide strip mill was large in scale, but also conservative in some design features. The German mill was the product of local innovation and international espionage. In France, Renault developed small scale technology. Marshall Aid made post-war adopters conform to US technological norms, with the Cold War influencing the location, design and management practices of strip mills in Europe after 1948.
Global technologies often generate local solutions. While the broad principles of a novel technol... more Global technologies often generate local solutions. While the broad principles of a novel technology may be clear, development of practical technology is often a localised activity. The early development of numerical control for machine tools discussed here shows different approaches were tried in Japan, the USA, Sweden and the UK. At this early stage in the industry life cycle there were many firms jostling for competitive advantage. Design solutions varied. Users had yet to define their needs. So each country appropriated the technology of numerical control differently. As is often the case, new technologies evolved along national lines. Collaboration with local users, a measure of trade protection, and government support aimed towards local firms all generated niches where national technologies could briefly prosper. These essays show how local needs generated variety in the supply of new control technology for machine tools and factory automation between 1950 and 1980. While there was a proliferation of local designs at an early stage in the industry lifecycle for numerical control, global markets and international competition presented a tough selection mechanism. Scranton and Wilson argue ?Fanuc rose to dominate the world market in machine controls through its products? simplicity, elegance, performance and reliability.? Once dominant designs become established, early participants fall away. Companies were forced to exit or adopt niche strategies as the number of global suppliers was whittled down.
Declaration 5 Copyright Statement 5 Jonathan Aylen, Statement of Eligibility 6 "Trying to secure ... more Declaration 5 Copyright Statement 5 Jonathan Aylen, Statement of Eligibility 6 "Trying to secure the past: innovation studies and the history of technology" "People work much in order to secure the future; I gave my mind much work and trouble, trying to secure the past"
The International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology
In: United Nations Global Compact International Yearbook. 2014 ed. Germany: United Nations Global Compact Office; 2014. p. 30-32., Nov 1, 2014
The International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology, 2022
Global technologies often generate local solutions. While the broad principles of a novel technol... more Global technologies often generate local solutions. While the broad principles of a novel technology may be clear, development of practical technology is often a localised activity. The early development of numerical control for machine tools discussed here shows different approaches were tried in Japan, the USA, Sweden and the UK. At this early stage in the industry life cycle there were many firms jostling for competitive advantage. Design solutions varied. Users had yet to define their needs. So each country appropriated the technology of numerical control differently. As is often the case, new technologies evolved along national lines. Collaboration with local users, a measure of trade protection, and government support aimed towards local firms all generated niches where national technologies could briefly prosper. These essays show how local needs generated variety in the supply of new control technology for machine tools and factory automation between 1950 and 1980. While the...
1 Ed London Institute of Materials 1998, 1998
In Fires2 the Impact of Wildfire on Ecosystem Services Relationships Between Wildfire Climate Change and People 24 Jun 2008 24 Jun 2008 Manchester Http Www Fires Seminars Org Uk Downloads Seminar2 Fires2_Programmeabstracts Pdf Fires Seminar Series 2008, Jun 24, 2008
The impact of wildfire on ecosystem services: relationships between wildfire, climate change and ... more The impact of wildfire on ecosystem services: relationships between wildfire, climate change and people
In Wildfire 2007 Dalby Forest Yorkshire Wildfire 2007 05 Jun 2007 07 Jun 2007 Dalby Forest Port Elphinestone Rural Development Initiatives 2007, Jun 7, 2007
IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, 2010
Ironmaking & Steelmaking, 2004
The steel industry pioneered the use of computers for process control. By the mid 1960s, almost a... more The steel industry pioneered the use of computers for process control. By the mid 1960s, almost a fifth of the world's process control computers were installed in the steel industry. The present paper documents the development of direct digital control with emphasis on hot strip mill control, notably the installation at Llanwern using a GE 412 computer. Early applications of computers in areas such as electric arc furnace control and order handling are identified. Archive sources, government documents, interviews, correspondence and technical papers show the leading role of steel in developing online control. Marked differences in adoption rates are identified. Twothirds of the early steel installations were in the USA. Britain and Italy were also early adopters. Jones & Laughlin and Inland of the USA, the Steel Company of Wales and Italsider were among the leading innovators.
The American continuous wide strip rolling mill halved the cost, improved the quality and increas... more The American continuous wide strip rolling mill halved the cost, improved the quality and increased the size of steel sheets after 1926. These mills diffused rapidly in the USA to supply a growing market for autobodies, canstock and consumer goods. European steelmakers adopted this radical, large scale technology during the 1930?s. Pre-war adopters in Europe briefly interpreted strip mill technology to meet political priorities, market circumstances and local technical preferences. The UK steel industry bought standard mill designs directly from two US suppliers. Soviet and German adoption was shaped by political regimes of the time. The Soviet mill formed part of an ambitious industrialisation programme using foreign technology. Their continuous wide strip mill was large in scale, but also conservative in some design features. The German mill was the product of local innovation and international espionage. In France, Renault developed small scale technology. Marshall Aid made post-war adopters conform to US technological norms, with the Cold War influencing the location, design and management practices of strip mills in Europe after 1948.
Global technologies often generate local solutions. While the broad principles of a novel technol... more Global technologies often generate local solutions. While the broad principles of a novel technology may be clear, development of practical technology is often a localised activity. The early development of numerical control for machine tools discussed here shows different approaches were tried in Japan, the USA, Sweden and the UK. At this early stage in the industry life cycle there were many firms jostling for competitive advantage. Design solutions varied. Users had yet to define their needs. So each country appropriated the technology of numerical control differently. As is often the case, new technologies evolved along national lines. Collaboration with local users, a measure of trade protection, and government support aimed towards local firms all generated niches where national technologies could briefly prosper. These essays show how local needs generated variety in the supply of new control technology for machine tools and factory automation between 1950 and 1980. While there was a proliferation of local designs at an early stage in the industry lifecycle for numerical control, global markets and international competition presented a tough selection mechanism. Scranton and Wilson argue ?Fanuc rose to dominate the world market in machine controls through its products? simplicity, elegance, performance and reliability.? Once dominant designs become established, early participants fall away. Companies were forced to exit or adopt niche strategies as the number of global suppliers was whittled down.
Declaration 5 Copyright Statement 5 Jonathan Aylen, Statement of Eligibility 6 "Trying to secure ... more Declaration 5 Copyright Statement 5 Jonathan Aylen, Statement of Eligibility 6 "Trying to secure the past: innovation studies and the history of technology" "People work much in order to secure the future; I gave my mind much work and trouble, trying to secure the past"
The International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology
In: United Nations Global Compact International Yearbook. 2014 ed. Germany: United Nations Global Compact Office; 2014. p. 30-32., Nov 1, 2014
The International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology, 2022
Global technologies often generate local solutions. While the broad principles of a novel technol... more Global technologies often generate local solutions. While the broad principles of a novel technology may be clear, development of practical technology is often a localised activity. The early development of numerical control for machine tools discussed here shows different approaches were tried in Japan, the USA, Sweden and the UK. At this early stage in the industry life cycle there were many firms jostling for competitive advantage. Design solutions varied. Users had yet to define their needs. So each country appropriated the technology of numerical control differently. As is often the case, new technologies evolved along national lines. Collaboration with local users, a measure of trade protection, and government support aimed towards local firms all generated niches where national technologies could briefly prosper. These essays show how local needs generated variety in the supply of new control technology for machine tools and factory automation between 1950 and 1980. While the...
1 Ed London Institute of Materials 1998, 1998
In Fires2 the Impact of Wildfire on Ecosystem Services Relationships Between Wildfire Climate Change and People 24 Jun 2008 24 Jun 2008 Manchester Http Www Fires Seminars Org Uk Downloads Seminar2 Fires2_Programmeabstracts Pdf Fires Seminar Series 2008, Jun 24, 2008
The impact of wildfire on ecosystem services: relationships between wildfire, climate change and ... more The impact of wildfire on ecosystem services: relationships between wildfire, climate change and people
In Wildfire 2007 Dalby Forest Yorkshire Wildfire 2007 05 Jun 2007 07 Jun 2007 Dalby Forest Port Elphinestone Rural Development Initiatives 2007, Jun 7, 2007
IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, 2010
Ironmaking & Steelmaking, 2004
The steel industry pioneered the use of computers for process control. By the mid 1960s, almost a... more The steel industry pioneered the use of computers for process control. By the mid 1960s, almost a fifth of the world's process control computers were installed in the steel industry. The present paper documents the development of direct digital control with emphasis on hot strip mill control, notably the installation at Llanwern using a GE 412 computer. Early applications of computers in areas such as electric arc furnace control and order handling are identified. Archive sources, government documents, interviews, correspondence and technical papers show the leading role of steel in developing online control. Marked differences in adoption rates are identified. Twothirds of the early steel installations were in the USA. Britain and Italy were also early adopters. Jones & Laughlin and Inland of the USA, the Steel Company of Wales and Italsider were among the leading innovators.