Resumen
The article presents an overview and comparison of the U.S., Japanese and German machine tool industries. Remote repair, diagnostics and maintenance (RRDM) is a broad term that incorporates various technologies and applications. It consists of fully integrated computer and network applications that automatically monitor performance, diagnose problems and request attention from service technicians for specific problems. The technological state of the machine tool industries in the U.S., Japan and Germany is similar. The U.S. machine tool industry lacks the clear competitive profiles of Germany or Japan. Regarding controllers, the U.S. and Germany now tend toward open concepts and interfaces while Japanese machine. All three countries recognize the strategic potential of RRDM applications with only long-term benefits. The research support for these long-term applications differs between the countries. In Japan, research is mostly funded by private firms, whereas in Germany, local governments have historically provided a great deal of research funding. In the U.S., the federal government supported the further development of RRDM mostly through research funding to NASA, DARPA and the U.S. military in support of specific space and defense-related issues.