Approach for the configuration of flexible factory layouts based on uncertain planning data

为了在市场上取得成功，生产相关公司必须科普动荡的经济环境和全球化的挑战。产品的生命周期缩短和变体范围扩大经常导致生产的一般条件发生变化。由于销售市场的不可预测性，快速适应对公司来说非常重要。在这种情况下，生产结构和工厂布局需要根据效率进行监控，并适应新的条件。规划数据并不总是以可预测的方式变化，并且由于大量的影响因素，数据很难预测。为了解决这个问题，布局的必要灵活性已经在规划中安排好了。因此，在这个要求的研究项目中，将开发一种基于不确定规划数据的柔性工厂布局配置方法。一个主要的问题是比较的要求，由于不确定的数据与灵活的工厂布局的潜力。在这种情况下，不确定的计划数据可能是难以预测的销售量，或者是未来产品组合的扩大。灵活的工厂布局反映了在没有额外投资的情况下改变产量或生产新产品的潜力，例如通过改变其元素的排列或通过扩大或缩小生产区域。因此，该方法扩大了传统的布局规划，通过系统集成的不确定性数据，并通过考虑灵活性的潜力。本研究计画的结果是提供一种方法，根据规划资料的不确定性，量化对弹性的需求。在此基础上，可以制定设计指南，为工厂布局找到合适的灵活性。

For success on the market production related companies have to cope with challenges of their turbulent economic environment and the globalization. Shorter life-cycles of products and a wider range of variants frequently cause changes in the general conditions of production. Due to the unpredictability of sales markets a fast adaption is important for the companies. Under these circumstances the production structure and factory layout need to be monitored according to efficiency and to be adapted to new conditions. Planning data does not always vary in a predictable way and because of a large number of influence factors the data is hard to predict. To handle this, the necessary flexibility of the layout is already arranged during planning mostly. Therefore an approach for the configuration of flexible factory layouts based on uncertain planning data is to be developed in this requested research project. A primary concern is the comparison of requirements due to uncertain data with potentials of a flexible factory layout. In this context uncertain planning data could be sales volumes, which are hard to forecast, or an enlargement of the product portfolio in the future. A flexible factory layout reflects the potential to change the output volume or to produce a new product without extra investments, for example by changing the arrangement of its elements or by extension or reduction of the production area. Therefore the approach enlarges conventional layout planning through a systematic integration of uncertain data and through consideration of flexibility potentials. The result of this research project is to be an approach, which quantifies the demand for flexibility according to uncertainty of planning data. On this basis design guidelines could be developed to find the right amount of flexibility for factory layouts.