Since the part design process is mainly based on constrains like geometry and function, a static optimization approach can be used. Corresponding optimizing algorithms would yield appropriate values for the part and its function. A more complex situation takes place in the manufacturing and assembly processes: their complex functions are time dependant and may run in a variety of logical arrays...

Presently, the automotive industry is facing enormous pressure due to global competition and ever changing legislative, economic and customer demands. Product and process development in the automotive manufacturing industry is a challenging task for many reasons. Current product life cycle management (PLM) systems tend to be product-focussed. Though, information about processes and resources ar...

Real-time processing for images is increasingly used in automotive industry. Video signals are nowadays different applications on traffic, such as measuring average speed, monitoring traffic congestion, detect red light crossing, but also sign recognition, lane assist etc. The paper proposes an embedded system image controlling climatization cars. This useful case of accident to activate the ai...

At the beginning of the 1990s, the holonic manufacturing paradigm was proposed (among others) to meet the upcoming challenges in the manufacturing industry. Even though the holonic idea is appealing, its implementation would revolutionize the way manufacturing is done today and thus needs to be thoroughly evaluated before it can be adopted. To this end, an industrial feasibility study for (auto...

This paper presents a summary of the results from the simulation of a given two-stages production system which uses JIT. The system consists of an assembly line with two automated assembly cells and two assembly stock points and one manufacturing cell with three manufacturing stock points for storing reserved parts and one receiving stock. Carts with fixed capacity are used for handling the par...

1. Introduction The automotive industry is one of the most automated manufacturing industries worldwide nevertheless there is still a lot of potential for further improvements. On the given example of an existing production plant at DaimlerChrysler AG a new holonic concept has been developed by HMS partners breaking up rigid transfer line structures and introducing new concepts of flexible reso...

Maintenance management has a direct influence on equipment reliability and safety. However, a large portion of traditional maintenance models and reliability analysis methods usually assumes that only perfect maintenance is performed on the system and the system will restore to as good as new regardless of the kind of preventive maintenance work-order that is performed. This is not practical in...

The authors surveyed the automotive and consumer electronics industries in North America and Japan between 1997 and 2001, and report that assembly manufacturers in these industries placed orders in week N-2 for production in week N. However, the order is supported by the 12-week rolling forecast, and more especially by the 4-week forecast, which is sent in month N-1 for the production of month ...