Streamlining material flow in flexible manufacturing systems: A lesson in simplicity

The flexible manufacturing system (FMS) represents an important new development in computerized manufacturing systems. Since its inception, researchers and practitioners alike have found managing FMSs more complex than managing hard-wired automation or stand-alone machines. Complexity arises from the perceived need to exploit the production-scope flexibility of the FMS to its fullest potential. This paper presents some analytical insights on the benefits of restricting this flexibility, and offers a methodology for streamlining the material flow. Curtailing the production-scope flexibility shifts the emphasis in material handling, buffer storage, and distributed-computer control to process planning and simplifying and automating the system changeover. From the system operation standpoint, streamlining the material flow simplifies production planning and control. Instead of having to deal with the complexities associated with jobshop scheduling the problem reduces to that of balancing the programmable flow shop, and the sequencing of the batches to minimize changeover time or cost.