Abstract
In this paper, we discuss recent innovations in manufacturing technology and their implications on the design and control of manufacturing systems. Recognizing the need to respond properly to rapidly changing market demands, we discuss several types of flexibility that can be incorporated in our production organisation to achieve this goal. We show how the concept of a Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) naturally arises as an attempt to combine the advantages of traditional Job Shops and dedicated production lines.
The main body of the paper is devoted to a classification of FMS problem areas and a review of models developed to understand and solve these problems. For each problem area, a number of important contributions in the literature is indicated. The reader, interested in the applications of Operations Research models but not familiar with the technical background of FMS’s, will find the descriptions of some essential FMS elements useful. Some final remarks and directions for future research conclude the paper.
Zusammenfassung
In dieser Arbeit diskutieren wir neuere Entwicklungen in der Fertigungstechnologie und ihren Einfluß auf den Entwurf und die Steuerung von Fertigungssystemen. In Anbetracht der Notwendigkeit, schnell und in der richtigen Weise auf sich ändernde Marktsituationen zu reagieren, besprechen wir unterschiedliche Typen von Flexibilität, die in unsere Produktionsorganisation eingebaut werden können. Wir zeigen, wie das Konzept eines flexiblen Fertigungssystems (FFS) auf natürliche Weise aus dem Versuch entsteht, die Vorteile von herkömmlichen Job Shops und Fertigungslinien zu kombinieren.
Der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit liegt auf einer Klassifikation der FFS Problemgebiete und einer Übersicht über Modelle, die zum Verständnis und zur Lösung dieser Probleme entwickelt wurden. Zu jedem Problemgebiet werden wichtige Beiträge aus der Literatur angegeben. Der an der Anwendung von Operations Research-Modellen interessierte Leser, der jedoch nicht mit dem technischen Hintergrundwissen von FFS vertraut ist, wird die Beschreibung wichtiger FFS-Elemente als nützlich anerkennen. Zum Abschluß dieser Arbeit werden Anregungen für weitere Forschungen gegeben.
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Zijm, W.H.M. (1988). Flexible Manufacturing Systems: background examples and models. In: Schellhaas, H., van Beek, P., Isermann, H., Schmidt, R., Zijlstra, M. (eds) DGOR/NSOR. Operations Research Proceedings, vol 1987. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73778-7_22
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73778-7_22
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