Tools for Integrated Manufacturing

Abstract

In recent years, integration has displaced automation, or advanced technology, as a key issue for many manufacturing organisations. Integration towards achieving a common goal is seen as the path leading to effective management and worldclass performance. The paper asserts that many companies suffers from a lack of integration between the physical material flow system and the supporting information system. It attributes this to lack of a methodology for joint development of material flow and information systems. It reviews the recent developments and describes current research. The methods and techniques currently available for the design of material flow systems are compared with new techniques in software engineering. A methodology is proposed, based on existing tools and techniques which will allow integration of the material flow system with the supporting information system. The methodology achieves both static and dynamic modelling of both material flow and information systems, through detailed modelling of decision and control mechanisms.