Multi-agent Manufacturing Execution System (MES): Concept, architecture & ML algorithm for a smart factory case

Smart factory of the future is expected to support interoperability on the shop floor, where information systems are pivotal in enabling interconnectivity between its physical assets. In this era of digital transformation, manufacturing execution system (MES) is emerging as a critical software tool to support production planning and control while accessing the shop floor data. However, application of MES as an enterprise information system still lacks the decision support capabilities on the shop floor. As an attempt to design intelligent MES, this paper demonstrates one of the artificial intelligence (AI) applications in the manufacturing domain by presenting a decision support mechanism for MES aimed at production coordination. Machine learning (ML) was used to develop an anomaly detection algorithm for multi-agent based MES to facilitate autonomous production execution and process optimization (in this paper switching the machine off after anomaly detection on the production line). Thus, MES executes the ‘turning off’ of the machine without human intervention. The contribution of the paper includes a concept of next-generation MES that has embedded AI, i.e., a MES system architecture combined with machine learning (ML) technique for multi-agent MES. Future research directions are also put forward in this position paper.