A framework for the control of integrated production and transport systems by combining evolutionary scheduling with fault detection methods

The scheduling and control of production and transport processes in manufacturing supply chains is usually handled separately, i.e. interdependencies between both processes are not taken into account so that globally optimal scheduling decisions cannot be guaranteed. An integrated consideration of these processes holds the potential to improve the supply chain performance. In addition, manufacturing and transport take place in dynamic environments and are subjected to several kinds of disruptions. Critical events put the timely execution of a given schedule at risk and ask for a control strategy that assures the efficient operation of a supply chain. This paper presents a framework for the control of integrated production and transport systems by combining integrated scheduling with fault detection methods. A framework for the interplay of the scheduling method with signal based fault detection methods is given by a simulation model of the production and transport system. Thus, in case of a detected critical disturbance, a replanning is performed based on the current status of the running system.