IMPROVED PERFORMANCE-ANALYSIS MODEL FOR INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

THE REQUIREMENT FOR INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY IS LEADING TO THEINTRODUCTION OF COMPLEX INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS. ASAN AID TO THE EFFICIENT DESIGN AND OPERATION OF THESE EXPENSIVE SYSTEMS, THERE IS NEED FOR IMPROVED MODELS THAT COULD PREDICT THE EFFECTS OF ALTERNATIVE DECISION SCENARIOS.WHILE SOME SYSTEMS ENGINEERING MODELS AND METHODS ARE IN USEIN INDUSTRY, THERE IS A LACK OF SIMPLE AND EFFICIENT ANALYTIC MODELS WHICH ARE ALSO REALISTIC IN TERMS OF THE FEATURES THEY INCORPORATE. THIS RESEARCH IS AIMED AT THEORETICAL WORK LEADING TO A MODEL THAT WOULD BE REALISTIC AND USEFUL IN TERMS OF THE PRACTICAL FEATURES THAT IT COULD MODEL, YET EFFICIENTLY SOLVABLE AND THUS USEABLE ON A MICROCOMPUTER. SUCH A MODEL, IF SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPED, COULD BECOME WIDELY ADOPTED BY DESIGNERS AND MANAGERS IN INDUSTRY, MUCH AS THE "SPREADSHEET PROGRAMS" HAVE BECOME COMMONPLACE IN FINANCIAL PLANNING DEPARTMENTS. THE AVAILABILITY OF SUCH ANALYTIC TECHNIQUES WOULD IMPROVE THE DECISION-MAKING IN THE DESIGN AND OPERATION OF COMPLEX MANFACTURING SYSTEMS, AND LEAD TO ENHANCED PRODUCTIVITY. THEAVAILABILITY OF SUCH A MODEL WOULD ALSO ENCOURAGE SOFTWARE DESIGNERS TO PRODUCE SOFTWARE PACKAGE BASED ON IT, AND HELP INCREASE THE USE OF COMPUTERS THROUGHOUT THE MANUFACTURING ORGANIZATION. THUS AS A SECONDARY EFFECT IT WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE GROWTH OF MICROCOMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN INDUSTRY, AGAIN, MUCH AS THE AVAILABILITY OF "SPREADSHEET PROGRAMS" HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE GROWTH OF THE PERSONAL COMPUTER INDUSTRY.