RMS – system of the future or new trend in science?

Abstract

Manufacturing companies in the 21st century will face unpredictable, high-frequency market changes, driven by global competition. The article presents a new concept of manufacturing systems – which address these challenges - known as Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMS). The concept began in 1999 at University of Michigan and is widely developed in many scientific publications. The paper first analyses main features of RSP. The next sections are devoted to analyze basic assumptions of RMS design and technical measures of RMS. Finally, the answer for the question if the RMS has the perspective of wide industrial implementations is discussed