Object-oriented re-engineering of manufacturing models: A case study Vincenza Carchiolo & Sebastiano D’Ambra & Alessandro Longheu & Michele Malgeri Published online: 1 April 2008 # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2008 Abstract Current manufacturing systems have a very structured production model, expecially when high com- plexity and precision is required, as in semiconductor devices manufacturing. In addition, rapid changes in both production and market requirements may occur, hence great flexibility is essential. This goals, together with the capability of adding new features as well as removing some model limitations, often impose to re-engineer periodically existing models, reducing as much as possible the time-to-market of a new product. Updating a model generally also requires to improve existing applications, both re-writing software components as well as adding new features to existing components. Here the model currently used inside STMicroelectronics facilities to define produc- tion flow (the sequence of operations to be performed in order to make products) is considered. First, the model is described highlighting its limitations, then an enhanced object-oriented model is introduced, in order to provide both a better management of all entites through aggrega- tional and constitutional hierarchies and a significant time reduction of production flow definitions through a flexible inheritance mechanism. In addition, required improvements on existing applications are considered, introducing an enhanced environment capable of supporting the enhanced model while preserving both technical and economic investments thus avoiding radical changes in existing environment. Keywords Object-oriented design . Business process reengineering . Workflow management . Manufacturing systems 1 Introduction Modern manufacturing processes (van der Aalst and van Hee 2002; Reijers 2003) are highly structured and automated, so in order to manage them it is necessary a production model which is usually quite complex, depend- ing on the requirements of the product being manufactured. Besides, during the use of a model over several years, some questions can occur: & New marketing scenarios may arise, so new kinds of products could be required, and/or new manufacturing technologies can be developed; & Some model limitations may be discovered, e.g. a shorter procedure for products manufacturing can be found or repetitive tasks can be discovered; & Changes in the production area of the model may occur, for instance a new generation of production machine with advanced capabilities could allow manufacturing operations improvements. Inf Syst Front (2010) 12:97–114 DOI 10.1007/s10796-008-9075-6 V. Carchiolo : A. Longheu (*) : M. Malgeri Dipartimento di Ingegneria Informatica e delle Telecomunicazioni, Università di Catania, V.le A. Doria, 6, 95100 Catania, Italy e-mail: alongheu@diit.unict.it V. Carchiolo e-mail: Vincenza.Carchiolo@diit.unict.it M. Malgeri e-mail: Michele.Malgeri@diit.unict.it S. D’Ambra CAM Support Group, STMicroelectronics, Str. Primosole 50, 95100 Catania, Italy e-mail: Sebastiano.Dambra@st.com