A decision support system for the design of batch manufacturing system

A decision support system (DSS) is proposed to exploit a general modeling framework describing tradeoffs between discrete materials handling and storage capacity in the design of batch manufacturing systems. The scope of user inputs includes production schedules, plant layouts, buffer storage space allocation, vehicle fleet size, part and vehicle routings, vehicle dispatching, and other key aspects of a manufacturing system design. It is argued that the analytical nature of the underlying model and accessibility facilitated by the DSS provide significant advantages relative to simulation and Petri net modeling in supporting sensitivity analyses associated with the design process