Title: Stochastic timed Petri nets to dynamically design and simulate industrial production processes

Authors: Marco Bortolini; Maurizio Faccio; Mauro Gamberi; Riccardo Manzini; Francesco Pilati

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 2, 40136 Bologna, Italy ' Department of Management and Engineering, University of Padova, Stradella San Nicola 3, 36100 Vicenza, Italy ' Department of Management and Engineering, University of Padova, Stradella San Nicola 3, 36100 Vicenza, Italy ' Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 2, 40136 Bologna, Italy ' Department of Management and Engineering, University of Padova, Stradella San Nicola 3, 36100 Vicenza, Italy

Abstract: Stochastic timed Petri nets are among the most effective languages to model event driven uncertain processes. Their adoption in the industrial sector is even more diffuse and of potential help for the practitioners. This paper presents a stepwise approach to support the dynamic design and simulation of manufacturing and assembly production processes. An industrial application from the white good sector, based on a semi-automatic assembly line is, further, discussed demonstrating the approach flexibility and the modelling language key strengths. The stochastic timed Petri net model for such a scenario is described together with the simulation outcomes of interest for the assembly line design and the production and maintenance activity scheduling.

Keywords: stochastic timed Petri nets; modelling; industrial production; stochastic modelling; integrated modelling; stepwise approach; dynamic design; simulation; resource planning; manufacturing industry; assembly line design; reliability; maintenance scheduling; process design; uncertainty; white goods; assembly lines; production scheduling.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2016.078490

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2016 Vol.25 No.1, pp.20 - 43

Received: 04 Oct 2014
Accepted: 13 May 2015
Published online: 22 Aug 2016 *

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