Methodology for the design and simulation of industrial facilities and production systems based on a modular approach in an "industry 4.0" context

Abstract

The design of the industrial facilities distribution is one of the most important decisions to be made, as it will condition the operation thereof. The concept of industrial installation as it is known today has evolved to the point that it integrates automation and information systems. Indeed, such evolution has given rise to the so-called intelligent factory. At present, in order to produce customized mass products according to customers' requirements, it is become an important issue the distribution of facilities with the generation of successful layout designs, based on the flexibility, modularity and easy configuration of production systems.This paper proposes a methodology to solve the problem of plant distribution design and redesign based upon a novel modular approach within an industry 4.0 context. Proposed methodology is an adaptation of the "SLP" Methodology (Systematic Layout Planning-Simulation) so-called SLP Modulary 4.0 (systematic planning of the Layout based on a modular vision under a context of Industry 4.0); this methodology incorporates in its structure an integrated design system (IDS) into its structure, which allows collaborative work with different CAD design and simulation tools. For the validation of the proposed methodology, a case study of a coffee processing plant is considered. The distribution design results obtained from the case study prove the benefit and usefulness of the proposed methodology.