Reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS) are designed to be able to be reconfigured to produce new items. Nevertheless, reconfigurations of a RMS may be time consuming and costly if they are not considered since early steps of new item design. This work describes a decision support system to automatically generate and test configurations for such RMSs based on a computeraided design (CAD) model of a new product. The proposed methodology consists of two main steps. First, a matrix of possible assembly plans (taking into account resource/tool compatibility, geometric constraints, …) is generated with a skillbased comparison between the new item and the production resources. Second, the assembly plan with minimum reconfiguration cost is found through mathematical optimization. The solution is analyzed by a simulation model in the end. Experiments performed on small use case validate the proposed methodology.

This paper introduces a Unity3D-based simulation of reconfigurable assembly cells. A systematic approach defining flexibility ranges and comparing product requirements and cell capabilities allows the automated proposal of reconfigurations in the assembly cell. With this approach, the suitability of an existing cell can be examined for different variants of products while taking reconfiguration aspects into account. The simulation simplifies the process of introducing a new product to an assembly line. Through the virtual approach, designing of the product and line planning can be executed simultaneously, thereby decreasing cost and time-to-market for new variants in an existing production system.

Based on an analysis of research and industrial trends, the paper introduces the basis of a conceptual research framework for an innovative methodology dedicated to design, implement and manage Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMS). The authors present key challenges extracted from the literature and key industrial needs for RMS, drawn from expert interviews via an industry study. A conceptual framework for reconfigurability management is proposed, which opens several avenues for future research.

The coronavirus crisis had a critical impact on supply chains and production worldwide. In particular, closed borders often prevented companies from obtaining the components required for their production. Such disruptions are the results of globalization, with suppliers spreading all over the world. The circular economy is an opportunity to overcome this challenge since components from end-of-life items may substitute supplies from afar. However, many barriers exist in the implementation of circular processes, as manufacturers perceive it as a radical change to their procedures. Therefore, we propose not to use completely new lines for the circular economy, but to use already existing systems. This paper presents the definition of circular integrated production systems (CIPS) and suggests a research roadmap for such to investigate what challenges and potentials arise, and what future research will be needed.

Reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS) emerged in literature during the last two decades with the aim to respond to the rapid increase in product demand and variations. The implementation of such solutions in the industry is very recent and remains difficult. In this article, an analysis of the industrial requirements and challenges involving four key aspects of RDSS (reconfigurability, digitalization, servitization and sustainability) is based on semi-structured interviews conducted with representatives from the industry. Further, the identified requirements and challenges are compared to those extracted from an extensive literature review. The findings of the comparison are divided into technology and organization oriented issues and show a strong interconnection of the four key aspects: Digitalization offers possibilities for the implementation of sustainable systems, servitization creates the possibility for companies to achieve more flexibility through reconfigurable systems and the further development of RMS offers more possibilities for digitalization and thus a better adaptation to current requirements.