Agent-based modeling and simulation of an autonomic manufacturing execution system

Authored by Milagros Rolon, Ernesto Martinez

Date Published: 2012-01

DOI: 10.1016/j.compind.2011.10.005

Sponsors: No sponsors listed

Platforms: NetLogo

Model Documentation: Other Narrative Flow charts Pseudocode

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

Production management systems must constantly deal with unplanned disruptive events and disturbances such as arrivals of rush orders, raw material shortage/delays or equipment breakdowns along with a multitude of interactions in the supply chain which constantly demand on-line task rescheduling and order execution control. For responsiveness and agility at the shop-floor, a distributed design for manufacturing execution systems is proposed based on autonomic units that fill the gap between production planning and shop-floor control. An interaction mechanism designed around the concept of order and resource agents implementing the monitor-analyze-plan-execution loop is described. Generative simulation modeling of an autonomic manufacturing execution system (@MES) is proposed in order to evaluate emerging behaviors and macroscopic dynamics in a multiproduct batch plant. Results obtained for an industrial case study using a simulation model of the proposed @MES are presented. The usefulness of agent-based modeling and simulation as a tool for distributed MESs design and to verify performance, stability and disturbance rejection capability of an interaction mechanism is highlighted. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tags

Multi-agent simulation Distributed scheduling Intelligent automation Manufacturing execution systems Production control