A Simulation-Based Approach for Improving the Performance of a Manufacturing System

The latest and innovative manufacturing paradigms, i.e., flexible manufacturing systems (FMS), reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS), etc., have provided opportunities to achieve an efficient and effective manufacturing process. However, due to the inherent stochasticity of customer demands as well as other influencing factors, factories are still facing dynamic and complex challenges related to their production management. Among which, machine failure is one of the most significant problems. Therefore, this research investigates a novel solution through incorporating the concept of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) into a manufacturing process, where reconfigurable machines are used to compensate for the production loss of a dedicated production line due to machine failure. A simulation-based approach is developed with the help of FlexSim in order to examine two general configurations with respect to three key performance indicators (KPIs). The results illustrate, by properly adopting the concept and technologies of I4.0, the performance of a manufacturing process can be improved to better react to unexpected events in production. From both technical and operational perspectives, several recommendations for further development are given in this paper.