Saturn Site Production Flow Requirements, Constraints, Issues

The use of Information Systems (IS) in manufacturing plants for monitoring, control, diagnostics, etc. has increased considerably in the recent past. The primary drivers are efficiency and quality increase through automation, facilitation of better business processes and improved decision making. Many problems and issues relating to the design, development, integration, evolution and maintenance of ISs in large-scale and complex plants have become apparent. Model Integrated Computing (MIC) [1] offers a feasible approach towards providing cost-effective development, integration, evolution and maintenance of ISs through the extensive use of models during the life cycle. This paper describes an application of MIC in providing a problem-solving environment and decision support tool in the context of discrete manufacturing operations at Saturn. The Saturn Site Production Flow (SSPF) system is a client-server application, designed to provide an integrated problem-solving environment. It presents consistent and pertinent information, provides analysis and decision support services that are needed for informed decision making by the team members and leaders within Saturn.