Maintenance Scheduling Improvements In Flexible Manufacturing System Supply Chains

Globalization and competitive markets have created new challenges for modern manufacturers. In the current marketplace, manufacturers must be agile, efficient, and capable of quickly responding to customer demands and changes in the modern manufacturing environment. Manufacturing systems do not exist in isolated environments. Manufacturing systems are always a part of an overall supply chain. The performance of each part of the supply chain has an effect on the performance of every other part of that supply chain. One of the most vital priorities for facilitating good supply chain performance is efficient maintenance scheduling and utilization throughout the supply chain. This article presents a brief discussion on flexibility, as it relates to manufacturing supply chains and general manufacturing environments. Two maintenance scheduling formulations are introduced. These formulations can be applied at any point in a supply chain.