Optimizing reconfigurable manufacturing systems

Carlos Alberto Barrera Diaz, Masood Fathi, Tehseen Aslam & Amos H. C. Ng (2021). Optimizing reconfigurable manufacturing systems: A Simulation-based Multi-objective. Optimization approach. Procedia CIRP Volume 104, 2021, Pages 1837-1842.

Application of reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS) plays a significant role in manufacturing companies’ success in the current fiercely competitive market. Despite the RMS’s advantages, designing these systems to achieve a high-efficiency level is a complex and challenging task that requires the use of optimization techniques. This study proposes a simulation-based optimization approach for optimal allocation of work tasks and resources (i.e., machines) to workstations. Three conflictive objectives, namely maximizing the throughput, minimizing the buffers’ capacity, and minimizing the number of machines, are optimized simultaneously while considering the system’s stochastic behavior to achieve the desired system’s configuration. Access publication.