Reconfigurable Manufacturing System - RMS and FMS

RMS and FMS

Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems and Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) have different goals. FMS aims at increasing the variety of parts produced. RMS aims at increasing the speed of responsiveness to markets and customers. RMS is also flexible, but only to a limited extent — its flexibility is confined to only that necessary to produce a part family. This is the “customized flexibility” or the customization characteristic, which is not the general flexibility that FMS offers. The advantages of customized flexibility are faster throughput and higher production rates. Other important advantages of RMS are rapid scalability to the desired volume and convertibility, which are obtained within reasonable cost to manufacturers. The best application of a FMS is found in production of small sets of products ; With RMS, however, production volume may vary from small to large.