Reconfigurations on manufacturing resources: identification of needs and planning

Increasing turbulence in the producing companies’ environment leads to a growing need of reconfigurations on manufacturing resources. In order to come up against this challenge a four-step methodology is presented in this paper to identify reconfiguration needs and to plan reconfigurations. The database of the methodology comprises a structural model and a capability model of the manufacturing resource. During the first step of the methodology requirements to the manufacturing resource are modeled. By comparing capabilities and requirements in the second step reconfiguration needs are identified. An algorithm generates alternative reconfigurations in the third step and the best reconfiguration is chosen in the forth step by using structural and economic key figures. Finally, the application of the methodology is exemplarily shown in the last chapter of this paper.