An AI based simulation system to improve shop-floor efficiency and to reduce production cost

The effective management of manufacturing operations plays a significant part in the success of any manufacturing company. In today´s economic environment, it is of particular importance to ensure that the company remains profitable when trying to compete in a dynamic and changing market environment. In this respect, an efficient operations management system can lead to improved productivity, minimised operating costs, reduced work-in-progress (WIP) and fuller utilisation of resources (i.e. operating as a flexible, and dynamically responsive organisation). Implementing dynamic control of the shop-floor environment can encourage many such savings. The authors consider the need for industry to develop and apply appropriately knowledgeable systems to effect dynamic control of shop-floor activities. A system has been developed that uses artificial intelligence with simulation techniques to interrogate and apply the local expertise of the shop-floor scheduler