The current competitive environment demands companies to be more and more efficient. In order to increase manufacturing efficiency, two apparently independent approaches have emerged: lean strategies, focusing on identifying and minimizing non-added value activities, identifying wastes in the system and their elimination, and information tools for planning and controlling activities. In this paper, a manufacturing system was considered for which it was necessary to increase the production capacity in order to respond to the customer’s increased demand. A practical case study in the automotive industry for a medium-sized enterprise was considered. In order to investigate the production process parameters and to implement lean principles, Value Stream Mapping (current analysis and optimized solution) and Anylogic agent-based simulations were carried out. Based on this, the lean performances, specific for the target VSM, were evaluated in terms of key performance indicators. The benefits of integrating agent-based simulation in the design and analysis of the value flow in the production chain are the capitalization of the information offered by Value Stream Mapping and the possibility to choose the best one from the possible scenarios. It generates important time and cost reductions without further resource waste.

No abstract

This paper presents the first Android client application developed for online laboratories based on the iLab Shared Architecture. An important challenge was to properly connect to the ISA Service Broker, because its current version was developed with browser-based client applications in mind. The application was successfully tested on a few real-world mobile devices and the experience gained represents the basis for future changes in the Service Broker and for future teleengineering applications that involve Android

No abstract

Connecting companies to the paradigm of climate change leads to the creation of sustainable production systems. In this context, new approaches to processes allow the definition of sustainable manufacturing systems. The sustainability of manufacturing systems is an important aspect in order to insure the competitive power of enterprises. In this respect, the manufacturing systems must take into account economic factors, environmental concerns and social directions. Decisions regarding manufacturing development, optimization, or reorganization are driven by many factors and are often costly, with the benefits hard to justify before implementation. This paper describes an agent-based model simulation that analyses the behaviour of a sustainable manufacturing system.