A Decomposition Method to Support the Configuration / Reconfiguration of Production Systems

The configuration phase of a production system is characterized by the need of evaluating a large number of system alternatives. In this phase, a fast and reliable performance evaluation tool able to analyze and explain the behaviour of the system is necessary. The paper proposes an approximate analytical method based on decomposition techniques for modelling and evaluating the performance of production systems involving split and merge of production flows, multiple products, buffers with finite capacity and manufacturing/assembly/disassembly operations. The paper also reports the application of the method to the performance evaluation and reconfiguration of a real system producing white goods.