The philosophy which guides and motivates Computer Integrated Manufacturing activities is formally defined. It is described the scenario where the philosophy is applied, represented by the highly competitive industry of the future.
The desired level of entrepreneurial competitivety which is envisioned requires from professionals involved in design, manufacturing, and services the ability of thinking in a global and integrated fashion. Therefore, it is very important that they are educated to work within this philosophy. The Center for Competence in Manufacturing - CCM - at ITA is one educational tool to reach this goal. In this work we describe CCM in terms of its facilities and action in training people, supporting research, and serving the community. We complete the discussions with examples of activities in the aerospace area which demand knowledge integration for production: aircraft design and aerothermoservoelasticity. From these examples one can extract others which can be applied to other sectors of the mobility technology.