A lifecycle simulation framework for production systems

The prediction of market behavior is helpful for a manufacturing enterprise to build efficient production systems, but unfortunately these predictions are usually not very reliable. Subsequently, development of more flexible production systems is important to adapt to changing markets but basically cause a higher cost than less flexible ones. This paper proposes a lifecycle simulation framework for production systems by combining the two topics. The simulation structure has several template libraries consisting of many scenarios or patterns of market behaviors, product lineups, production lines, and reconfiguration policies. The framework is initially described for a factory, and afterwards expanded for a global production network.