Modelling of Manufacturing Complexity in Network Systems

This book examines the nature of structural
complexity in manufacturing networks. Structural
complexity is the information required to monitor
manufacturing systems with specific focus on the
systems that have a network structure and the effect
of inter-dependency of components within the system
on the performance.

This research proposes novel structural complexity
measures for a variety of management problems, i.e.
routing, production status change, sequence disorder
and buffer size variation. With the proposed
measures, structural complexity can be applied to
broader types of systems, i.e. series-parallel
system, buffer system and rework system. In
addition, a number of heuristic approaches
are implemented in a computer program for re-
engineering purpose using throughput and complexity
measures.

Overall, the new methodology can positively
contribute to better system design techniques, where
system simplicity and streamlined flow are as
important as high productivity and cost saving.

Autorentext

Shih Bun Yu obtained his D. Phil in Engineering Science in 2005 from the University of Oxford. At present, he is Senior Analyst at a Fortune 100 company. Janet Smart researches and teaches manufacturing and management at Oxford.

Klappentext

This book examines the nature of structural complexity in manufacturing networks. Structural complexity is the information required to monitor manufacturing systems with specific focus on the systems that have a network structure and the effect of inter-dependency of components within the system on the performance. This research proposes novel structural complexity measures for a variety of management problems, i.e. routing, production status change, sequence disorder and buffer size variation. With the proposed measures, structural complexity can be applied to broader types of systems, i.e. series-parallel system, buffer system and rework system. In addition, a number of heuristic approaches are implemented in a computer program for re-engineering purpose using throughput and complexity measures.Overall, the new methodology can positively contribute to better system design techniques, where system simplicity and streamlined flow are as important as high productivity and cost saving.