Towards Interdisciplinary Variability Modeling for Automated Production Systems

Automated Production Systems involve multiple engineering disciplines and often operate for several decades. Therefore, in order to leverage benefits of model-based system engineering, modeling approaches must handle both multiple disciplines and variability. As a first step towards variability modeling and management, a small case study is carried out to investigate the opportunities and challenges when enhancing an interdisciplinary modeling approach with delta modeling – a technique for specifying variants and versions. The paper reflects critically its applicability, implications as well as potential beneficial impacts and discusses encouraging challenges and next steps towards an interdisciplinary approach for variability modeling and management.