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More change will certainly come as U.S. manufacturers try to compete with foreign producers. "This is an issue the whole country is going to have to deal with," says Whitney. Yet not even Allen-Bradley plans to automate existing product lines; the cost of redesigning traditional manufacturing processes would be too great. The totally automated, problem-free factory that can turn out complex consumer products like cars and dishwashers remains a science-fiction fantasy. What does exist, for now, is Allen-Bradley's Department 260, a step toward the future, with temperamental machines named Clarabelle that need patting.