Product and Production Process Modeling and Configuration

Issue title: Special Issue on the Italian Conference on Computational Logic: CILC 2011

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Campagna, Dario | Formisano, Andrea

Affiliations: Università di Perugia, Italy. dario.campagna@dmi.unipg.it | Università di Perugia, Italy. formis@dmi.unipg.it

Note: [] Address for correspondence: Dipartimento di Matematica e Informatica, via Vanvitelli 1, I-06123, Perugia, Italy

Abstract: Product configuration systems are an emerging technology that supports companies in deploying mass customization strategies. Such strategies need to cover the management of the whole customizable product cycle. Adding process modeling and configuration features to a product configurator may improve its ability to assist mass customization development. In this paper, we describe a modeling framework, PRODPROC, that allows one to model both a product and its production process. We first introduce our framework by describing how configurable products are modeled. Then, we describe the main features and capabilities offered to model production processes and to link them with the corresponding products models. The configuration task (namely, the procedure that, from a configurable object/activity generates a configured product/process) is then analyzed. We also outline a possible CSP-based implementation of a configurator. A comparison with some of the existing systems for product configuration and process modeling emphasizes that none of the considered system/tools offers the complete set of features supported by PRODPROC for interdependent product and process modeling/configuration.

Keywords: Product and process modeling languages, Configuration of product/process models

DOI: 10.3233/FI-2013-841

Journal: Fundamenta Informaticae, vol. 124, no. 4, pp. 403-425, 2013