A Systems Engineering Approach to the Design of Manufacturing Systems
Abstract
Rising competitiveness in the 21st century and the increasing complexity of
manufacturing systems demand the refinement of manufacturing system design
practices by investing more effort during the planning and design phase.
This PhD research investigates the current state of the art of manufacturing systems
design by a thorough literature review and the analysis of conventional
manufacturing system design methods. Those methods are found to be incomplete
when compared to essential systems engineering activities. A survey of Norwegian
manufacturing companies reflects that the application of systems engineering is still
undeveloped in some industries, but the potential benefits are perceived to be
substantial. Challenges for manufacturing enterprises are to move toward a more
systematic and cooperative-driven environment to address demands imposed by
rising costs, product quality, and the ability to innovate.
Meeting the challenges, a framework is proposed rooted in essential systems
engineering techniques that enhance the recently proposed W-model approach with a
more front-end focus. The AMod framework is introduced and explained as a
development lifecycle approach for manufacturing systems engineering to support
information sharing with stakeholders, to facilitate reasoning about system
requirements, and to facilitate decision-making.
A nine months case study investigated how one company approached the design of
manufacturing systems. Comparing the company’s problem solving strategy with the
steps of AMod demonstrated a significant saving in time and costs. The case study
illustrates that the AMod framework can enable right-first-time practices at both the
continuous improvement level as well as the initial design of manufacturing systems.