Design of multi-agent decision support for configurations of manufacturing networks

Abstract

A procedure for decisions on network adaptations is outlined, which is based on criticality and complexity thinking.For the development of methods for decision-making and control of manufacturing networks, models of Complex Adaptive Systems and Concurr ent Enterprising have been successfully introduced to manufacturing network decision support on the MES level. These decision support set ups, exploiting the self-similarity principle, may be seen as just one specification of a decision support procedure, which is valid for manufacturing networks on all levels. Synthesis of the self similarity principle with the criticality thinking results in efficient decision support procedures for gradual and evolving adaptations of manufacturing networks' structures reducing management complexity.

Towards the factory of future an integrated approach of material-processes-information-human being

“…For designing this information factory assistant, we need to create interactions between models and structures of the factories. This virtual assistant will help industrial people for their daily works by giving them computer-aided decision making [2]; in order to achieve that, the assistant will computes thanks to context-based simulation and performance evaluation of the factory processes.…”

“…Our proposition is to create a new "companion" (assistant) that will assist engineering phases. Thanks to a coupling to a knowledge base, the system will automatically help the user to do its job better than before [2].…”