Modelling the complexity of manufacturing systems using nonlinear dynamics approaches

This paper investigates the complexity and the stability of manufacturing systems, introducing concepts based on discrete event simulation and nonlinear dynamics theory. A set of manufacturing models, characterised by different production configurations and part routings, is simulated and evaluated through a series of experiments, employing diverse workload patterns. The results are used for (a) determining the sensitivity of a manufacturing system to workload changes, (b) measuring the complexity of a manufacturing system and (c) discussing measures to control the complexity of a manufacturing system based on the proposed simulation-based approach.