Axiomatic design of flexible manufacturing systems

One of the major requirements of agile manufacturing strategies for the 21st century is to introduce intelligent information technology into manufacturing. The main contribution of this paper is an innovative new FMS design methodology. The operation-driven FMS design methodology is introduced, as the concept of concurrent product and process development is being widely used to enhance the productivity and quality of manufacturing. The new FMS design theory is developed from axiomatic design theory established by Suh (1990). The general design theory based on two design axioms and a set of theorems and corollaries is concretized for the FMS design. The proposed methodology works well as an effective decision support system for FMS designers in determining the appropriate FMS configuration at the design stage. This is illustrated via a successful implementation exercise resulting in configuring FMS in real manufacturing settings.