Flexible Process Planning and Production Control Using Co-operative Agent Systems

Nowadays, one of the greatest challenges companies have to face is the change towards flexible and demand-driven production. More information has to be handled and a considerable speed-up of development and manufacturing processes is needed. However, the actual situation is characterized by strong borderlines between process planning, production control and scheduling systems, caused by extreme specialisation and independent historical paths of system evolution. This gap implies loss of time and of information. Thus, there is a strong need for innovative concepts for management and control of integrated information logistics, production scheduling and process planning. Agent-based information technologies like the innovative concept of co-operative agent systems are promising approaches for more flexible and distributed production networks. Agents are autonomously, co-operatively and goal-oriented acting intelligent software units. The use of agents for managing information within production control and process planning makes short term and flexible reaction to unexpected events and disturbances in manufacturing (e.g. break down of machines or lack of other resources as well as unexpected change of market situation) possible. Thus, enterprises will react to changing requirements in a more flexible way and will be able to face the challenges of international competition successfully.