Manufacturing plants, and
the processes within them, are composite entities: they each have their parts,
with their own attributes and behaviors, and those parts interact with one
another in well-defined ways. Many of the decisions that must be made involve
cost and performance tradeoffs that decide the best design and configuration
of the processes, such as setup and running costs, versatility, safety or
product quality. Our technology is ideal for using composite models and data
inputs to monitor processes, and for managing tradeoffs to make the best
choices. This contribution is very potent in manufacturing, where even small
improvements can amount to significant profit.
Our system significantly
enhances the user's ability to evaluate and compare the range of options, and
to make good choices for:
 | Product designs that take appropriate account of manufacturability
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| Design and configuration of optimized processes and plants
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| Identification and correction of weaknesses in process design, to
increase robustness and reduce downtime
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| Fault diagnosis, and how best to respond to such changes in the
situation, to enhance agility
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| Process management, including optimizing the use of personnel, and
reconfiguration of processes in response to quality control data
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