An information model to support reconfiguration of manufacturing systems

Reconfiguration has appeared as a paradigm that relies on a set of technologies and decision-making approaches to design, develop, monitor and control manufacturing systems in such a way to adapt to changes quickly, and with the exact required capacity and functionality. Existing research on reconfiguration of manufacturing systems puts more emphasis on enabling technologies and decision-making (mathematical modelling and reconfiguration algorithms), and less on the information models and tools that enable taking advantage of the flexibilities offered by such technologies and decision-making tools. Existing industrial information systems, such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), offer limited support to manage configurations, and to capture decision makers’ knowledge about when to use each configuration. In this article, we suggest an information model that supports decision-makers to reconfigure their manufacturing systems. The suggested model describes the configuration capabilities, performance, physical implementation (layout) on the shop floor, and situations in which each configuration can be used to overcome changes. We illustrate the proposed information model using an industrial case study.