Using case based reasoning for problem solving in a complex production process

Explicit and quick problem-solving is one of the critical processes that creates a competitive advantage in the business environment. By analyzing the current problem-solving process in the production line, we identified that the main problem is lack of knowledge sharing and consistent solutions which are referable. Therefore, all knowledge which is related to the problem-solving process must be accumulated and shared in the integrated system. When a process engineer is confronted with a new problem, he needs to receive the suggested solution based on accumulated data and knowledge. The Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) approach utilizes previous experience in the form of problem description or cases. To date, however, most Case-Based Systems (CBS) have tended to focus on relatively simple domains. The current study involves a project to develop a decision support system for a complex production process. This paper presents a set of critical issues underlying CBR, then explores their consequences for a practical domain. For concreteness, issues such as retrieval and adaptation are examined in the context of production process control. In this research, the evaluation of the system is carried out by comparing the solution of the process engineer with the solution proposed by the system. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.