changeability

Although all approaches to proactive change management of production systems emphasize the relevance of complexity, an integrated building block “management of complexity” is not available. Based on a specification of the domains and dimensions of production complexity a framework for handling complexity is outlined. It covers guidelines, principles and tools for coping with the multiplicity, diversity, ambiguity and dynamics of production systems.

The devastating economical crisis and the rise of economy in 2010 showed that companies nowadays act in a turbulent environment. Internal and external factors like customer demand change in a very dynamic way. The research and development project ProAktiW is funded by the BMBF. Results of the project will show that an increase of changeability induces the sustainable and economical production in Germany. This article shows first results of the recently started project.

Companies nowadays face a plethora of challenges such as ever increasing customer requirements, globally distributes production networks or changing product life cycles. In order to react appropriately to these turbulences, production systems can be designed changeable. Today’s solutions often do not suffice. In particular, the needed time and the necessary extent of change are identified only intuitively. In this paper is presented a control-loop-based synchronization approach, which allows carrying out the change in the right quantity at the right time. An application example will further the theoretical bases.

Changes on the product and manufacturing side resulting from intensifying global competition have put pressure on companies to alter their strategy, organization and production. Especially the ability to quickly adapt production equipment has become a crucial factor which can provide great competitive advantage. Current research work of the Institute for Manufacturing Automation and Production Systems (FAPS) at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg focuses on material-flow and production systems that are both self-organizational and self-learning. In this context, concepts have been developed for cost-effective restructuring measures during the operating phase which make a rapid response to dynamic changes and disturbances possible.

The article highlights the current challenges factory planning is facing in the realm of changeability and the creation of flexible structures, which adapt to changing market environments. IM has conducted a survey among factory planning companies and provides the results as well as annotating remarks in this report.

Due to the dynamic production environment with its multiple fast changing influences, planning and reconfiguration cycles in production have become shorter. In this context, changeability and flexibility of production systems are major factors for success. The paper defines changeability and describes flexibility as major base for changeability. With the concept of Production Projects an innovative and promising concept is introduced that supports the systematic optimization of flexibility and that links the lifecycles of products and production. Furthermore, the Flexibility Mode and Effect Analysis (FlexMEA), on which the systematic analysis and optimisation of flexibility is based, is presented.