The design and implementation of material and information flow for manufacturing systems

Abstract

Production systems are characterized by complex interactions between elements, both human and mechanical, with the goal to accomplish certain high-level manufacturing objectives. In order to ensure that the decisions made and the actions taken during the design and implementation of production systems are aligned with all of the objectives, a structured approach must be followed. In developing this structured approach, the axiomatic design methodology is applied, which provides the means for creating a hierarchy of system design objectives (what to do) and solutions (how to do it). From this conceptual design process, a Production System Design and Implementation (PSDI) Path is presented here. The PSDI Path guides the design through a series of steps in creating a successful physical manufacturing system environment in terms of the original high-level objectives. Defining the material and information flow in the system is a critical part of the PSDI path. Based on the steps in the PSDI Path and the design hierarchy, a procedure for constructing the material and information flow in the production system is developed. To aid in the design of material and information flow in the manufacturing system, a manufacturing system modeling environment is developed as the tool for visualizing and communicating the flow in the manufacturing system design. KEYWORDS: Lean Manufacturing, Value Stream Management, Manufacturing System Design, Production System Design, Cellular Manufacturing, Axiomatic Design.