MAE-P3 -- A System to Gain Transparency of Production Structure as a Basis for Production Relocation Planning

The design of global production networks receives increasing attention, due to changing conditions in the international competition. The basis for relocation planning within a network is the transparency of the production structure. The method MAE-P³ (MAE-P³: machines and equipment; processes; product flow; planning) visualizes complex production structures in a two-dimensional matrix. It displays the sequence of the manufacturing processes of a production line and the sequence of the manufacturing processes of a product. The matrix allows comparing these sequences so that decisions about the relocation of a product within a production network can quickly be made and concepts for further production optimization can be deducted. Based on this method, a computer aided system was developed to systematically compare the sequence of the manufacturing processes of a product to several production lines within the network. The comparison is predicated on an algorithm from the science of bio-informatics - originally developed for the comparison of protein chains.