IDSSFLEX - AN INTELLIGENT DSS FOR THE DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

This paper describes IDSSFLEX, a computer system for the analysis and evaluation of Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) design configuration s. IDSSFLEX is an intelligent decision support system which selects fr om among several configurations and control strategy alternatives of d esign, the most appropriate one for a specific case. In order to accom plish such an objective, the system presents simultaneously the follow ing features: ability to quantify subjective factors, ability to accou nt for individual preferences, and ability to cope with multiple crite ria decision making. A case study illustrates the effectiveness of the computer system.