Developing a production engineering based theory of production

Manufacturing companies in high-wage countries are facing growing challenges in a global market. The Cluster of Excellence (CoE) "Integrative Production for High-Wage Countries" at RWTH Aachen University is delivering solutions to overcome these challenges by means of a higher integrativity of production technology. Researchers from the field of production engineering and material sciences at RWTH Aachen University are developing a production engineering based theory of production. Two complementary models, the Added Value Model and the Viable System Model, are being combined into one regulatory framework to collect and process the research results of the CoE. The production theory will allow to better describe a production system while enabling users to plan, design and control their individual production system.