Information modelling for made-to-order virtual enterprise manufacturing systems

✍ Scribed by W.J. Zhang; Q. Li

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 369 KB
• Volume: 31
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0010-4485
• DOI: 10.1016/s0010-4485(99)00057-3

✦ Synopsis

This paper discusses the information modelling for the product development in an "made-to-order" (MTO) type virtual enterprise (VE). In an MTO-VE, there present thousands of product families; for each product family, there present thousands of variants. In addition, product structures are intertwined with partner company structures. Thus, information associated with such a manufacturing environment is highly heterogeneous. Conventional data modelling systems are no longer able to handle the complex information presented in this new situation. In order to develop effective information models for an MTO-VE, a new scheme for product variant classification is proposed in this paper. With the objective to cover this scheme, a general data model is developed to effectively represent product structures. As well a general data model for company behaviours is developed. Requirements on maintaining information consistency, efficiency in data retrieval and generality in data definition have all been taken into consideration in the development of these general models. Implementation of our proposed data models suggest to develop three general program modules to enhance general-purpose commercially available DBMSs. These program modules are outlined. The effectiveness of the information model developed in the present study will be demonstrated by a case derived from an application.