Improved logistics performance through the use of locked flexibility potentials

Further enhancement of the logistics targets achievement can be attained through development and use of so far locked flexibility potentials. Product structures with many variants allow for additional flexibility potentials due to the fact, that one component can become a part in one of many different final products variants for different customers. The challenge of this approach is to enable products to decide autonomously about their production processes. Hence, this paper will introduce a concept of an autonomous product and analyze the methodical requirements for decentralized decision-making. Based on these requirements the paper will present a method for autonomous components to generate decision alternatives concerning their life cycle during the manufacturing process.