wilamowski-b-m-irwin-j-d-industrial-communication-systems-2011

65
Semantic Web Services for
Manufacturing Industry
Chen Wu
Curtin University
of Technology
Tharam S. Dillon
Curtin University
of Technology
65.1 Background......................................................................................65-1
65.2 Aims..................................................................................................65-3
65.3 Approach..........................................................................................65-3
Ontology-Driven Architecture. •. Multisite Issues and Rapid
Reconfigurability. •. Customizations of Product and Materials
Flow Monitoring. •. Optimization. •. Data, Process and Timing
Consistency and Conformance. •. Customer-Centered Design
through the Concept of Customer Value
65.4 Conclusion........................................................................................65-9
References.................................................................................................. 65-10
65.1 Background
Many industries have introduced a new set of requirements on the manufacturing in the fabrication
and assembly of products and/or project management of large projects. These are characterized by
several features: they require the ability to support work carried out at sites remote from the final
assembly site where primary materials and appropriate numbers of suitable skilled workers are available,
transportation of large components to the remote fabrication sites, and final assembly of these
at the site. The assembly site also needs rapid construction of these services. The manufacturing
companies are often required to meet strict deadlines on construction so that they do not experience
any delays, and a high degree of customization of the products to suit different levels of employees
and different terrains and environmental conditions, which can sometimes be very unfriendly.
These requirements have led to the manufacturing industry seeking to develop new modes of operation,
which must allow for (1) multisite production of components with final assembly at a remote
site on every occasion, (2) a high degree of reconfigurability suitable for a combined construction/
manufacturing industrial setting capable of supporting the production of highly customized units
or products, (3) an ability to carry out manufacturing and assembly to varying levels of granularity
at multiple sites, (4) creation of major components through assembly of subcomponents sourced
from different producers or factories, (5) the ability to monitor and control the flow of materials and
partially assembled components within timing and resource constraints, (6) the ability to track and
trace the production of a particular customized unit and to inform the relevant staff working on that
unit at a subsequent stage in the process, (7) automated data collection in widely varying situations,
and (8) ensuring dependency and timing constraints are fulfilled for feasible and on-time delivery.
These requirements can only be met through new cutting edge IT and Web-based methodologies
and technologies.
65-1
© 2011 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC