Paradigm independent shop control for smaller manufacturing sites

Objective

PASO aims at advancing manufacturing management technology in a commercially attractive area.

Since the 1980ies manufacturers have been shifting from functional production arrangements towards product-based manufacturing shops and smaller organisational entities (lean management and group technology). These autonomous, small production shops and cells need visual, user-friendly scheduling and control systems, which can be customised and integrated with internal and external supplier networks. Other requirements like a more frequently restructuring of production facilities add further to this need.

Today's tools for production planning and scheduling are not flexible enough, as most of them are fixed to a certain production structure. PASO aims at developing a software architecture for shop-control (reactive scheduling) which is independent of the production structure. It therefore should be possible to support almost any structure, organisation and scheduling algorithm.

The innovative contribution of PASO is not based on sophisticated algorithms but rather on a new, flexible software concept with benefits for both the end-user and the system provider. A prototype shop-control system based on the envisaged shop-control kernel, as well as a set of shell modules will demonstrate and validate the feasibility of the concept.

The advantages of the targeted system can be summarised as follows:
- customisable in a very high degree, allowing incremental upsizing;
- low cost system,
- easy to use, simple, with illustrative user interface,
- simplified system administration (only PC know-how required);
- expandability and openings;

Fields of science

• natural sciences › computer and information sciences › software
• engineering and technology › electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering › electronic engineering › control systems
• social sciences › economics and business › economics › production economics

Programme(s)

• FP4-ESPRIT 4 - Specific research and technological development programme in the field of information technologies, 1994-1998

Topic(s)

• 8.12 - Intelligent Production Systems and Equipment

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

A. Ahistrom Corporation, Shistrom Machinery, Savonlinna Works

Address

57101 Savonlinna
Finland

Participants (8)

Asociacion de Investigacion Tekniker

Spain

Address

Otaola 20
20600 Eibar

Ccp - Centre de Cim de Porto

Portugal

Address

Rua De Aurelia De Sousa 171
4000 Porto

Extech

Ireland

Address

Lismoyle House, Merchants Road
Galway

Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (Ifw)

Germany

Address

Schlosswender Strasse 5
30159 Hannover

Jaz-Zubiaurre Sa

Spain

Address

Asuerreka 7
20600 Eibar

Telleria, Valdubieco, Azaola

Spain

Address

Zeharkalea S/n
48260 Ermua

Vtt Automation

Finland

Address

Espoo

Wm-Data Systia Oy

Finland

Address

Ilmarisentie 20
15200 Lahti