Industry 4.0
Toolbox offers more flexibility in production

Production lines that were previously not focused on processing late change requests for orders already placed by customers are facing a number of new challenges: In recent years, the ability to respond quickly and accurately to customer requests has been a deciding factor in increasing their satisfaction and gaining loyalty. Furthermore, manufacturing is moving towards the automation of order processing to save on production costs and resources. Finally, there is growing momentum towards standardizing the structure and representation of customer requests.

To address these issues, manufacturing companies must extend their current setup to streamline the handling of late change requests. But how to achieve this? At the Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems IKS, the vision is to provide a toolbox to support flexible and resilient production, with AI-based mechanisms that can easily be integrated into existing Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) as add-ons. Each mechanism can be thought of as a tool that addresses an adaptation stage, from monitoring the state of production to executing concrete changes to processes. With these additions, it becomes possible to dynamically react to order changes, supporting the decision-making process of how to adapt production resources in the best way.

As shown in Figure 1, the toolbox can help with the realization of the following functionality:

• Tracking of production state and KPIs: The toolbox supports the creation of mechanisms for understanding and tracking the state of the production line. For instance, in the context of a change request, this would include the current availability of materials, parts, and resources.
• Analysis of modification needs: Mechanisms can also be employed to identify when it is necessary to modify the production line, carrying out an analysis of required changes. In the case of a change request, this would be a feasibility analysis that cross-checks whether the modifications desired by the customer can be accommodated given the state of production.
• Planning of modifications: Once the need for a modification is established, the specific changes to production must be planned. For instance, this could consist of updating the schedule of production tasks to account for an order change.
• Execution of modifications: Finally, the planned modification is executed, updating the behavior of the production line. Thanks to the integration with the MES, planned modifications can be more easily adopted by the system.

As the description above illustrates, the toolbox offers several benefits, ranging from offering an improved understanding of the current state of production to assisting with decisions on how to modify the use of resources. Thus, the integration of its add-ons with the MES helps to provide a unified approach for flexible and resilient production. It is important to note that the toolbox is envisioned as a general-purpose solution, not only suitable to implement the infrastructure for late change requests but also for the optimization of energy consumption, the reorganization of resources as a response to machine breakdowns, and many other use cases.

Use Case: rescheduling orders

As a practical example, consider the scenario of a factory that not only assembles products but also 3D prints customized parts in-house for each order (i.e., offering customers the ability to set a color or material of choice). Given its customization and just-in-time production abilities, this factory already has the infrastructure needed to operate with increased flexibility. However, it still needs a robust way of scheduling orders to ensure effective resource usage. This can be accomplished by using a dynamic rescheduling mechanism supported by the toolbox. This add-on can dynamically suggest modifications to the production plan to accommodate new orders (or order changes), accounting for the current state of the shop floor.

Thus, the takeaway message for any manufacturing company considering ways to improve their flexibility and resilience is that it is possible to bring adaptation into the fold in a modular way, without the need to completely overhaul the existing infrastructure. By strategically choosing and integrating key mechanisms, it is possible to lower costs while also improving production outcomes.

This work was funded by the Bavarian Ministry for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy as part of a project to support the thematic development of the Institute for Cognitive Systems.