Dynamic modeling and analysis of multi-product flexible production line

Mass customization has been a major challenge in the manufacturing sector. For this purpose, Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) are usually designed to accommodate variations and manufacture different types of products in batches, but the products follow a single rigid path using a conveyor and in case of a failure on a single machine, the whole production line is affected. However, a multi-product dynamic production system can operate under an elongated failure on a single machine. A novel dynamic modeling method for a multi-product production line is developed to investigate dynamic properties of the system under random disruptions such as machine failures and market demand changes. Permanent production loss (PPL) and demand dissatisfaction for multi-production lines are formally defined as real-time performance metrics. A real-time analysis method is developed to evaluate the PPL and demand dissatisfaction. Numerical case studies are presented to validate the fidelity of the real-time multi-product production line model and the effectiveness of the real-time analysis method.