A Method for Estimating and Evaluating Life Cycle Costs of Decentralized Component-based Automation Solutions

Increasing product variety and shortening product life cycles call for a fast reconfiguration of production systems. To face these challenges one common solution is the encapsulation of subsystems by creating modules. However, modularization raises the initial costs of the production system which is why the optimal degree of modularization must be determined in order to minimize the life cycle costs. The decision on the modularity of the system has to be taken in the early planning phase although the quality of the system data is poor. A method for estimating and evaluating the life cycle costs of a decentralized component-based automation system is presented in this paper. To establish a solid basis for the evaluation the system is divided into cost packages and an estimation method is proposed in order to obtain reliable data on each cost package. Based on these cost packages, the user of the method can easily build up different life cycle scenarios for the production system. Particular attention within this method is paid to the system availability which is a very important criterion for economic success. The result is a thorough analysis of the life cycle costs in order to take decisions concerning the suitable degree of modularization in the early planning phase of a production system.