Project 477: pilot implementation of a production activity control (PAC) system in an electronics assembly environment

Abstract

Abstract Abstract, Production activity control (PAC)is concerned wkh the short-term planning and execution of manufacturing orders in the production process. The aims of ESPRIT project 477, entitled 'Control Systems for Integrated Manufacturing' were to develop a generic PAC architecture and software tools to support the design and implementation of PAC systems. This paper outlines the PAC architecture and development principles, and describes the first pilot implementation of a PAC system in the Digital electronics assembly facility at Clonmcl, Ireland. The paper introduces the PAC architecture and highlights the importance of PAC in a computer integrated manufacturing environment. The development cycle for PAC systems is described, and reference made to the PAC simulation model which was used for validating the architecture. The main emphasis of this paper is on the pilot implementation of PAC in a live manufacturing environment. The rationale for a PAC pilot implementation is explained, and the pilot p...