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On the way to automated layout planning numerous challenges must be faced. One of these challenges is the automated layout evaluation, which can be considered as the core of automated layout planning. The research field of factory planning differs from related research topics such as facility layout planning (FLP) from operations research (OR) by focusing for example on qualitative criteria in the evaluation. However, findings on how qualitative criteria can be interpreted in a quantifiable and measurable way are still rare. In this article, we address these questions with a focus on changeability, which can be regarded as the most important qualitative evaluation criterion in layout planning. For this purpose, a survey was conducted that aims to determine changeability from the understanding of industry experts and to define it consistently with the understanding from literature. Based on this understanding, performance metrics are derived to measure the layout changeability.

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Manufacturing companies are facing a turbulent market environment. Challenges for these companies lie in balancing efficient, economical action with maintaining agility, responsiveness and competitiveness. Thus, it is becoming even more important that as much potential as possible is leveraged as early as the planning phase of a factory. Automated layout design with focus on changeability could help to increase the agility and responsiveness for the factories. Approaches for automated design and optimization of layout variants are already prevalent. Ultimately, the major challenge remains in the automation of the layout evaluation taking qualitative criteria in consideration. Burggräf et al. provide a first approach for the quantification of the qualitative layout evaluation criterion changeability through specific metrics. Within the scope of this work those metrics are examined with regard to their reliability. Anomalies or deviations in the evaluation results shall be identified and suggestions for improvement will be proposed based on the obtained insights.