Decentralized planning and control for assembly areas driven by Gentelligent® parts

Logistically controlling assembly areas is based on processing information. The availability of the required information is thus a decisive factor. This paper introduces an approach for controlling assembly areas. The method is based on processing information from so called Gentelligent^reg parts. Gentelligent^reg parts can function as storage mediums and as such are able to record, save, process and communicate information. Due to these properties, Gentelligent^reg parts can function as a decentralized enterprise information system (EIS). As a result, extensive potential for improving logistic and technical processes arises along the product evolutionary process and during the usage phase.