A multi-layer/multi-level control architecture for computer integrated manufacturing systems

The authors describe a novel shop floor control architecture for CIM (computer-integrated manufacturing) which combines concepts from multilayer and multilevel control theory. This architecture distributes both decision-making and control, requires each module to work on many jobs simultaneously, and provides for structured negotiations between supervisors and subordinates. It is based on theoretical results from mathematics and engineering which have been implemented for other dynamic, stochastic systems. This approach maximizes the benefits and eliminates the weaknesses of existing hierarchical and heteroarchical control implementations. It is also superior to existing methodologies such as MRP because it localizes the impact of disturbances as much as possible