The existing classification of enterprises according to the level of automation divides them into enterprises of partial automation, complex automation and full automation.
The actual practice is such that at the same time and in one place there can be enterprises of different levels of automation completeness. If two (or several) enterprises are connected by a technological chain within the frames of production of a certain product, then the issue of the need for their interaction is not discussed. However, if there is no common technological chain, then the issue of how expedient it is to interact with an enterprise that has a different degree of automation arises inevitably.
It is obvious that relations between enterprises of different levels of automation develop in different ways, and it is possible to describe them formally and objectively only if patterns common to all situations are found. This article describes an approach to finding and utilizing such regularities in practice.
It should be noted that the emphasis in the study of such patterns is on the discussion of the role of the creative factor released as a result of automation. In the future, it will be shown that the released creativity is important not only for the automated enterprise but also for another enterprise that interacts with it.
For convenience and certainty, it is useful to present the hierarchy of enterprises according to the degree of automation completeness in the form of a diagram (Fig. 1)
The essence of FAP, CAP, and PAP is described in many publications (for example, in [1]) and does not require clarification. It is required to explain the concept of "universal production (UP)" introduced here, which is based on units of equipment that are diverse in terms of technological properties and are controlled by machine operators. The control of the equipment by workers-"generalists" points to the fact that there is almost no automation in production. The inclusion of UP in the enterprise hierarchy (Fig. 1) means that, by the general trend of production automation, UP will over time inevitably become automated enterprises, that now are only contenders for this role.