AUTONOMOUSLY CONTROLLED PROCESSES - CHARACTERISATION OF COMPLEX PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

Due to the increasing complexity of today’s logistic systems, new planning and control methods are necessary. Autonomously controlled processes are a possible solution to cope with these new requirements. In order to verify this thesis, the development of an evaluation system is necessary which measures the logistic objective achievement, the level of autonomous control and the level of complexity. Within this paper an adequate operationalisation of complexity in production systems is aspired. For this purpose a complexity cube is derived in order to characterize production systems regarding their level of complexity. The different types of complexity in this cube are represented by vectors which allow measurement and comparison of different types of complexity for different production systems. The application of the complexity cube is illustrated using an exemplary job shop manufacturing scenario.

[1]  Sang Joon Kim,et al.  A Mathematical Theory of Communication , 2006 .

[2]  Albert W. Jones,et al.  On Information and Performance of Complex Manufacturing Systems , 2003 .

[3]  L. da F. Costa,et al.  Characterization of complex networks: A survey of measurements , 2005, cond-mat/0505185.

[4]  G Frizelle,et al.  The management of complexity in manufacturing: a strategic route map to competitive advantage through the control and measurement of complexity , 1998 .

[5]  Boaz Ronen,et al.  Improving shop floor control : an entropy model approach , 1992 .

[6]  Moshe M. Barash,et al.  Complexity in manufacturing systems, Part 1: Analysis of static complexity , 1998 .

[7]  Janet Efstathiou,et al.  Information complexity as a determining factor in the evolution of supply chains , 1999 .

[8]  Eric Scherer,et al.  The Reality of Shop Floor Control — Approaches to Systems Innovation , 1998 .

[9]  Manfred Enders.  Anleitung zum ganzheitlichen Denken und Handeln. Ein Brevier für Führungskräfte , 1991 .

[10]  Gilbert Probst,et al.  Anleitung zum ganzheitlichen Denken und Handeln : ein Brevier für Führungskräfte , 1991 .

[11]  Katja Windt,et al.  Autonomy in production logistics: Identification, characterisation and application , 2008 .

[12]  A. Barabasi,et al.  Network biology: understanding the cell's functional organization , 2004, Nature Reviews Genetics.

[13]  G Frizelle,et al.  Measuring complexity as an aid to developing operational strategy , 1995 .

[14]  Eric Scherer,et al.  Shop Floor Control — A Systems Perspective , 1998 .

[15]  Seth Lloyd,et al.  Information measures, effective complexity, and total information , 1996 .