Rolling Migration Planning for Manufacturing Networks

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Günther Schuh
• Subject Area: Production Systems, Operations Management, Quality Management and Factory Planning
• Term: from 2016 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 314597414

The design of manufacturing networks is a strategic task with long-term implications. Yet, decision makers are overwhelmed with the scale of such a planning task. Therefore, methods become essential that deal with network design problems and allow enterprises to design and further optimize their global manufacturing networks. Besides designing the structure of a manufacturing network, planning the migration process for the further development of a network is key. The combination of both perspectives increases the network design potential: while, regarding the structural perspective, an eligible target structure for a manufacturing network is to be developed, the most suitable path, in terms of migration perspective, towards that very target structure has to be found. Existing approaches focus mostly on one of the two perspectives. Either a mathematical optimization approach for a network structure is developed or it is aimed for a strategic approach to develop a network. The integrated view from both perspectives is mostly not covered in existing literature. Another important aspect is the great array of influence parameters and interdependencies which increase the planning complexity. Especially planning uncertainty induced by external factors is often neglected. Furthermore, manufacturing networks are also not planned from scratch but presuppose existing network configurations which are incrementally developed towards the target network structure. The consideration of individual migration steps must therefore gain significance. The goal lies in the development of an overall method for a rolling migration planning of global manufacturing networks. It should model necessities of migration, evaluate resulting migration steps by effort and benefit as well as synergies and restrictions and facilitate an optimized order for those migration steps. For this purpose, the research project is composed of seven work packages. Initially, a suitable network model is created. Then, migration demands are modelled and attributed with synergies and restrictions before migration efforts and benefits have to be quantitatively assessed. On this basis, a procedure for the determination of an optimized migration step order will be developed. Furthermore, all these elements are incorporated into an overall method for rolling migration planning. Ultimately, the method will be validated. Throughout the entire project, the research results are documented and published. In conclusion, this research project should contribute to the economic planning of manufacturing networks aligned with the strategy of the enterprise.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants