Continuous Flow Controlled Distributed Scheduling Policies Of Manufacturing Systems With Setups

Develops a two-stage continuous-flow control distribution production scheduling method. The first stage consists of off-line optimization setup reconfiguration frequencies and production target levels for individual operations over time. The solution of a global continuous-flow model uses an approximation of material flow in the production system with the objective of meeting product demands and minimizing costs due to setup, inventory, and backlog. The second stage uses a simple on-line feedback policy to make the setup and production decisions in order to track the optimized production targets and setup reconfiguration frequencies of the first stage. Analyzes the stability of a class of guided create-a-fraction (GCAF) on-line setup and production tracking policies.

This book presents a unified optimal control approach to a large class of problems arising in the field of production planning and scheduling. It introduces a leading optimal flow control paradigm which results in efficient solutions for planning and scheduling problems. This book also introduces the reader to analytical and numerical methods of the maximum principle, used here as a mathematical instrument in modeling and solving production planning and scheduling problems. The book examines control of production flows rather than sequencing of distinct jobs. Methodologically, this paradigm allows us to progress from initial assumptions about a manufacturing environment, through mathematical models and construction of numerical methods, up to practical applications which prove the relevance of the theory developed here to the real world. Given a manufacturing system, the goal is to control the production, subject to given constraints, in such a way that the demands are tracked as closely as possible. The book considers a wide variety of problems encountered in actual production planning and scheduling. Among the problems are production flow sequencing and timing, capacity expansion and deterioration, subcontracting and overtime. The last chapter is entirely devoted to applications of the theory to scheduling production flows in real-life manufacturing systems. The enclosed disk provides software implementations of the developed methods with easy, convenient user interface. We aimed this book at a student audience - final year undergraduates as weIl as master and Ph. D.

Optimization techniques in production management are becoming increasingly important for efficient and competitive manufacturing. This book presents a collection of tutorial papers by outstanding researchers on the application of optimization concepts. Topics introduced include hierarchical production planning and large scale scheduling, optimal production control, exact and heuristic algorithms for production scheduling and stochastic modelling.

Operating policies for manufacturing systems must respond to important discrete events such as machine failures, setups, demand changes, expedited batches, etc. These feedback policies must be based on realistic models, and they must be computationally tractable. In this paper, we develop a hierarchical framework for research and algorithm development in scheduling and planning. The structure of the hierarchy is systematically based on the characteristics of the specific kind of production that is being controlled. The levels of the hierarchy correspond to classes of events that have distinct frequencies of occurrence. There have been many hierarchical scheduling and planning algorithms, some quite practical and successful. However, there has been no systematic justification of this structure. The main contribution of this paper is a framework for studying and synthesizing such a structure. (JES).

To be able to compete successfully both at national and international levels, production systems and equipment must perform at levels not even thinkable a decade ago. Requirements for increased product quality, reduced throughput time and enhanced operating effectiveness within a rapidly changing customer demand environment continue to demand a high maintenance performance. In some cases, maintenance is required to increase operational effectiveness and revenues and customer satisfaction while reducing capital, operating and support costs. This may be the largest challenge facing production enterprises these days. For this, maintenance strategy is required to be aligned with the production logistics and also to keep updated with the current best practices. Maintenance has become a multidisciplinary activity and one may come across situations in which maintenance is the responsibility of people whose training is not engineering. This handbook aims to assist at different levels of understanding whether the manager is an engineer, a production manager, an experienced maintenance practitioner or a beginner. Topics selected to be included in this handbook cover a wide range of issues in the area of maintenance management and engineering to cater for all those interested in maintenance whether practitioners or researchers. This handbook is divided into 6 parts and contains 26 chapters covering a wide range of topics related to maintenance management and engineering.

This is the first book to focus on emerging technologies for distributed intelligent decision-making in process planning and dynamic scheduling. It has two sections: a review of several key areas of research, and an in-depth treatment of particular techniques. Each chapter addresses a specific problem domain and offers practical solutions to solve it. The book provides a better understanding of the present state and future trends of research in this area.

Annotation Proceedings of the October 1994 conference. Papers cover topics including agile manufacturing and related concepts, with emphasis on system integration and applications, while panel discussions address government programs such as the Technology Reinvestment Projects. Other topics include process modeling and planning, Petri net theory, integrated design and assembly planning, holonic manufacturing systems, and discrete event dynamic systems. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

The financial results of any manufacturing company can be dramatically impacted by the repetitive decisions required to control a complex production network be it a network of machines in a factory; a network of factories in a company; or a network of companies in a supply chain. Decision Policies for Production Networks presents recent convergent research on developing policies for operating production networks including details of practical control and decision techniques which can be applied to improve the effectiveness and economic efficiency of production networks worldwide. Researchers and practitioners come together to explore a wide variety of approaches to a range of topics including: WIP and equipment management policies, Material release policies, Machine, factory, and supply chain network policies for delivery in the face of supply and demand variability, and Conflicts between complex production network models and their controlling policies. Case studies and relevant mathematical techniques are included to support and explain techniques such as heuristics, global and hierarchical optimization, control theory and filtering approaches related to complex systems or traffic flows. Decision Policies for Production Networks acts as handbook for researchers and practitioners alike, providing findings and information which can be applied to develop methods and advance further research across production networks.