Hyper-linked applications and its evolving needs for future simulation capabilities

A new object-oriented framework, termed “hyper-linked manufacturing”, is introduced for computer-integrated manufacturing. This framework permits complex organizational structures among intelligent agents to address the distributed coordination of the enterprise. Each intelligent agent has an integrated planning and control capability and has the capacity to model the interaction of itself with its subordinates. To this end, a distributed simulation becomes a major functional requirement in assessing the performance of subsystems within the enterprise while operating under a planned course of action. This paper defines the basic concepts associated with hyper-linked manufacturing and then discusses the future requirements for simulation technologies that evolve from its implementation