Problem
Current flexible manufacturing systems usually build very small lot sizes from a single product line in response to real-time customer demand; for example, an automobile production line that builds each car to order. Consider two alternative architectures for organizing such a system, one centralized and one decentralized. The first would use close centralized control, centralized production scheduling, and resource planning. The other would use fully distributed control based on disseminating customer/supplier relationships to each work cell; that is, each job and each work cell interact individually through an auction for services. What would be advantages and disadvantages of both approaches? How would the architecture of the supporting information systems (extending to sales and customer support) have to differ in the two cases?