Planning and controlling of flexible assembly systems for automotive industry

In this paper we present a method for planning control strategies for assembly systems with complex material flows. In order to be able to make available components Just-in-Time-in-sequence, the sequence of components in the different material flows has to be coordinated. Local control strategies describe how this can be reached at an place of location by means of sorting buffers. Global control strategies express how local control strategies can be combined optimally. The effect of control strategies on the operating performance of complex assembly systems can only be determined by means of a computer aided simulation. For the elements behavioural regulations are prescribed which are appropriate to execute the required control measures. The regulations will be expressed as a set of rules constructed by use of elements known from predicate calculus.