RMS design methodology for automotive framing systems BIW

Today, markets increasingly require more customized products, with shorter life cycles. In response, manufacturing systems have evolved from mass production techniques, through flexible automation and mass customization, to produce at mass production costs. Manufacturing facilities must incorporate more flexibility and intelligence, evolving toward reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS). RMS are amid to posses such flexibility and responsiveness and said to be the next generation of world class systems. RMS are designed for rapid change in structure and for a quickly adjustable production capacity. This paper proposes a new methodology (high level process) of framework using flexible and reconfigurable manufacturing systems principles for automotive framing systems as well as to provide a guideline to support the structure of different stages of the design methodology. The proposed methodology is presented through a case study using data based on actual production systems of three different styles; (process and design data) which supports the hypothesis of the research. (C) 2013 The Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.