An Appraisal of Modeling Tools and Methodologies for Integrated Manufacturing Information Systems
Abstract Information systems are increasingly playing a pivotal role towards the integration of manufacturing functions. Several tools and modeling methodologies have been developed to facilitate the design and implementation of information systems for complex manufacturing environments. However, none of the methodologies or tools provide a comprehensive environment that can be used for the information system design from start to finish. The methodologies and tools are incomplete, and are inconsistent with each other. The IDEF (Integrated Computer Aided Manufacturing Definition) provides a set of methodologies that cover activity modeling, relationship modeling, and dynamic modeling that are consistent to each other, but still operate essentially in a stand alone fashion. Several CASE (Computer Aided Software Engineering) tools have been developed to implement these methodologies. The complexity and size of the manufacturing systems warrant the use of these tools. These tools can significantly increase the productivity of information system designers, but are still lacking in many respects as discussed in this paper. This study attempts to review the current state of the art in modeling methodologies and tools; to compare the existing data models; to explore the functionalities they offer; and to define a set of characteristics that are desirable in a modeling methodology for integrated information system design. The results are from a manufacturing point of view and were derived through case studies in manufacturing environments.