An intelligent decision support system for manufacturing technology investments

In this paper, a hybrid intelligent system integrating case-based reasoning (CBR) and the fuzzy ARTMAP (FAM) neural network model is proposed to support managers in making timely and optimal manufacturing technology investment decisions. The system comprises a case library that holds the details of past technology investment projects. Each project proposal is characterised by a set of features determined by human experts. The FAM network is then employed to match the features of a new proposal with those from historical cases. Similar cases are retrieved and adapted, and information on these cases can be utilised as an input to prioritisation of new projects. A case study is conducted to illustrate the applicability and effectiveness of the approach, with the results presented and analysed. Implications of the proposed approach are discussed, and suggestions for further work are outlined.