Object-oriented resource models: Their role in specifying components of integrated manufacturing systems

In response to the need to identify improved operating strategies within manufacturing enterprises, a number of formal methods for enterprise engineering have been defined, Predominantly, these methodologies take a 'top down' approach based on an analysis of business requirements, Top down design must be tempered by an understanding that manufacturing processes are implemented using what are often inflexible hardware and software resources, This paper describes a CASE environment which provides structured support for resource modelling based on object orientation, and demonstrates the necessary integration with a top down enterprise engineering workbench based on the CIM-OSA reference architecture, The paper concludes by identifying requirements for future resource reference models that will be required to support enterprise engineering and that should be supplied by resource vendors. Copyright (C) 1996 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.