Innovative Production Machines and Systems Conference

In 1984, the late Professor John Burbidge advocated the use of the connectance concept for modelling of production system variables. Burbidge argued that through experience, managers learn the principles which govern the relationships between variables. When driving a car, one learns, for example, that turning the steering wheel in a clockwise direction will cause the car to move to the right, and that pressing the brake will make the vehicle stop. In the same way, by learning something of the effects of changes in input variables on the induced direction of change in output variables, managers can learn how to steer a production system towards achievement of the aims. The working principle of the connectance concept is as follows: ‘Providing one does not attempt to specify relationships in quantitative terms, it is possible to make statements about system variable connectance, which are always true, but may not be relevant in all production situations’. Using the connectance concept, Burbidge built a Connectance Model of production variables and intended to use the model for the design of new production systems, that was to find the input and system variables required in order to achieve a given combination of output variable requirements. While not necessarily agreeing with Burbidge’s assertion that relationships are always true, we believe that the principle of the connectance concept could be used to model a complex production system variable. The developed model could then be used by managers to study how a given direction of change in one variable will induce a particular direction of change in any related variables. The connectance concept, although itself simple, results in large complex models when applied to real production situations. These models are difficult and time consuming to generate manually. Furthermore they are difficult to manipulate manually, and this makes analysis tedious. In order to address these shortcomings we have proposed a computerised tool which facilitates the building of production variables’ model. The above figure compares the functions of the proposed tool and the Burbidge Connectance Model.