Reconfigurable manufacturing system: Overview and proposition of new approach

To confront the rapid change in manufacturing environments, companies need a Reconfigurable Manufacturing System (RMS) which combines the high production volume of Dedicated Manufacturing Lines (DML) with the large variety of products of Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS). In this paper, we propose a state of art of recent research work on RMS. After highlighting the advantages of RMS compared to existing manufacturing systems, we outline different issues discussed in the context of RMSs and what it brings as solutions. Finally we present the main idea of a new approach for reconfiguration process following a predictive monitoring.