Intelligent products: The grace experience. (September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Leitão, Paulo; Rodrigues, Nelson; Barbosa, José; Turrin, Claudio; Pagani, Arnaldo
• Is Part Of: Control engineering practice. Volume 42(2015)
• Page Start: 95
• Page End: 105
• Publication Date: 2015-09
• Subjects: Intelligent products -- Intelligent and reconfigurable control -- Multi-agent systems -- Factory automation; Automatic control -- Periodicals; 629.89
• DOI: 10.1016/j.conengprac.2015.05.001
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0967-0661

Abstract

Abstract: Product intelligence is a new industrial manufacturing control paradigm aligned with the context of cyber-physical systems and addressing the current requirements of flexibility, reconfigurability and responsiveness. This paradigm introduces benefits in terms of improvement of the entire product׳s life-cycle, and particularly the product quality and customization, aiming the customer satisfaction. This paper presents an implementation of a system of intelligent products, developed under the scope of the GRACE project, where an agent-based solution was deployed in a factory plant producing laundry washing machines. The achieved results show an increase of the production and energy efficiency, an increase of the product quality and customization, as well as a reduction of the scrap costs.