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The formation of machine‐part families is an important task in the design of cellular and flexible manufacturing systems. The formation results in the creation of many benefits for manufacturing systems. Among the many methods utilized in machine‐cells formation, the similarity coefficient method (SCM) is most widely used. When SCM is used, the rearrangement of machine and part components is required to form machine‐part families. This process of rearrangement has been considered as being subjective and difficult and may result in improper assignments to parts families, resulting in a negation of benefits promised. This paper presents an effective algorithm to identify part‐families and bottleneck‐parts, given machine groupings, rather than addressing the machine grouping problem in general.

Reconfigurable machines tools (RMTs) are gaining momentum as the new solutions to customised products in the manufacturing world. The driving force, among others, behind these machines is the part envelope and the part family of products that they can produce. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new class of RMT known as a reconfigurable guillotine shear and bending press machine (RGS&BPM). A part family of products that this machine can produce is developed using hierarchical clustering methodologies. The development of these part families is guided by the relationship of the parts in the family in terms of complexity and geometry.

Part families cannot be developed in isolation, but that process has to incorporate the machine modules used in the reconfiguration process for producing the parts. Literature was reviewed, and group technology principles explored, to develop a concept that can be used to develop the part families. Matrices were manipulated to generate part families, and this resulted in the development of a dendrogram of six possible part families. A software with a graphic user interface for manipulation was also developed to help generate part families and machine modules. The developed concept will assist in the development of a machine by first developing the part family of products and machine modules required in the variable production process.

The developed concepts assist in the development of a machine by first developing the part family of products and machine modules required in the variable production process. The development of part families for the RGS&BPM is key to developing the machine work envelope and modules to carry out the work. This work has been presented to demonstrate the importance of machine development in conjunction with a part family of products that the machine will produce. The paper develops an approach to manufacturing where part families of products are developed prior to developing the machine. The families of products are then used to develop modules that enable the manufacture of the parts and subsequently the size of the machine.

The research was limited to the development of part families for a new RGS&BPM, which is still under development.

The study reflects the development of reconfigurable machines as a solution to manufacturing challenges in terms of group technology approaches adopted in the design phase. It also highlights the significance of the concepts in the reconfigurable machine tool design. The part families define the machine work envelop and its reconfiguration capability.

The success of the research will usher an alternative to smaller players in sheet metal work. It will contribute to the easy development of the machine that will bridge the high cost of machine tools.

The study contributes to the new approach in sheet metal manufacturing where dedicated machines may be substituted by a highly flexible reconfigurable machine that has a dual operation, making the investment for small to medium enterprises affordable. It also contributes to the body of knowledge in reconfigurable machine development and the framework for such activities, especially in developing countries.

It is not uncommon that a multi‐branch firm has all its branches maintaining the same group of machines from a maintenance department. Clearly there are potential opportunities to reduce costs by coordinating the joint maintenance among the branches. The purpose of this paper is to optimally coordinate the maintenance schedule of machines of multi‐branch firms to save the maintenance cost incurred.

A search algorithm is proposed that proceeds the searching through the junction points within the lower and upper bounds of the search range. An example is given to illustrate the method.

The optimality structure of this problem is explored and it is asserted that the optimal cost is piece‐wise convex. Based on theoretical results, an effective search algorithm is derived that can efficiently determine the maintenance frequencies for a family of machines of multi‐branch firm.

A well‐planned maintenance schedule can not only bring down the cost but also raise the utilization rate of a family of machines. Numerical results show that the whole maintenance system can obtain significant cost savings from the coordination policy.

In response to branches adopting coordinated maintenances, the maintenance manager providing the maintenances to the branches faces a scheduling problem of how to minimize its total costs. This is an area that has received little attention in the literature. By utilizing the theoretical results, an efficient search algorithm that solves the optimal solution for this problem is proposed.

Proposes a virtual cellular manufacturing approach to implementing cellular manufacturing systems that combines the set‐up efficiency typically obtained by traditional cellular manufacturing or group technology systems with the flexibility of a job shop. Unlike traditional cellular systems in which the shop is physically designed as a series of cells, cells are formed within a shop utilizing a process layout using scheduling mechanisms. The result is the formation of cells that are temporary and logical (virtual) in nature, allowing them to be more responsive to changes in demand patterns. Simulation runs comparing this approach to production using traditional cellular and job shop approaches indicate that this new approach yields significantly better shop performance over a range of operating conditions.

The reasons which make an integrated product‐process approach necessary are described: also indicated are the aim of simultaneous product‐process design, attainment of flexibility in stable operating conditions, and variables connected with integrated design, i.e. the degree of product standardisation and the degree of process similitude, concur in determining the applicative fields of the various automation typologies (CNC machines, FMS, flexible transfers, rigid transfers, etc.).

The purpose of this paper is to provide the description of an original framework for maintenance management plan development. The research aims to use in an integrated way different World Class Manufacturing (WCM)-based tools, in order to obtain a model which can be used for preventive maintenance in different industrial contexts.

In this research, a conceptual framework of preventive maintenance was described and then it was evaluated through a qualitative study in an Italian company. The company was chosen based on an initial interview with the operations team and the model area was selected. Then, the location was reorganized in order to obtain a green field which could sustain the implementation of the framework tools.

The case study was carried out in a small-medium manufacturing company which produces quick-release couplings and multiconnections, ranging from medium to ultra-high pressure. The defined framework has proved to be easy to implement in a company with a corrective maintenance plan, allowing the maintenance department to embrace the preventive maintenance culture. The maintenance model has been well received from the employees.

The framework allows a standardization of maintenance plans. Firstly, the standardization design itself allows finding previous wastes and consequent improvement areas. Then, it brings the improvement of a single machine which impacts all other machines in its family.

The added value of this study is the ability to integrate different WCM-based tools. Since the framework depicts a step-by-step process; it is also a starting point for companies that want to approach preventive maintenance for the first time.

FOR some time industry has been preoccupied with the question of management. It is generally agreed that in the United States the services of management consultants are engaged by at least 75 % of the principal industrial enterprises, hospitals and chief educational establishments. In this country, too, there is growing reliance on the same kind of aid.

Design for Manufacture (DFM) is design procedure which aims at assisting the developing of a new generation of industrial products, in order to improve their manufacturability. DFM can lead to significant gains in productivity (often several hundred per cent). Unlike automation, DFM requires little or no extra investment compared with traditional product development. DfM can be applied in both high‐volume production and in small‐scale production. DFM addresses the product on several levels, including: the corporate level, the family level, the structural level and the component level. One of the main attributes of DFM is to avoid the untimely focus on detailed design and increase the attention on conceptual design of the product.

Outlines the increasing use of unconventional metalworking fluids as one of the measures necessary for manufacturing industries to take to maintain their competitiveness, focusing on Germany. Notes environmental concerns and describes the use of base fluids, additives and the testing compatibility with machine tool elements.

The paper looks first at the various types of classification and coding methods used in group technology. A discussion is provided on the pros and cons of classification and its relevance and significance to the establishment of cellular manufacturing. Secondly, the formation of production cells is examined. Some of the factors considered include the optimum cell size, the effect of numerically‐controlled machines, and quality assurance. The introduction of GT (group technology) cells imposes a marked change in the role of the foreman and working relationship of the operators. The social aspect of GT is discussed against the background of current motivational theories and results from surveys are presented.