Methodology for integrated manufacturing planning and control systems design

Abstract

Manufacturing planning and control systems (MPC) design or redesign in the current dynamic industrial environment is a complex process and must be based on a true understanding of the business needs of a particular enterprise and the physical facilities and resources available to satisfy those needs. Interdomain relationships between various elements, both within and outside the system, must be considered in this context; a necessary requirement for any integrated systems design. Many past efforts in the field seem to lack this approach and as a result changes in the business needs are difficult, if not impossible, to incorporate in the current MPC systems without a major redesign. This chapter outlines the major design issues in this context and proposes a methodology to develop an integrated system’s model for implementation. The methodology starts with an analysis of the business needs and considers the coordination and communications requirements between various disparate units and domains of an organization. To aid the design process, the methodology uses many well-known tools and methods in its various stages; their functions and usefulness are discussed. The chapter gives an example to show how the methodology can be used to develop a MPC system in real life.