Systems and methods for assisted modeling of manufacturing workflows

Abstract

This invention discloses a system and method for auxiliary modeling of manufacturing workflows. The invention relates to a method and system for automatically assisting a user in creating a manufacturing workflow—hereinafter referred to as WF—for manufacturing products, the method comprising: a) receiving (101) graphical user input in an editing area (211A), the editing area (211A) being designed for creating a manufacturing WF; b) in response to and based on the received graphical user input, automatically selecting (102) one or more MWFs from a meta-workflow—hereinafter referred to as MWF—library (212); c) automatically displaying (103) the one or more selected MWFs in a display box (211B); d) receiving (104) a selection of one of the displayed MWFs; e) automatically displaying (105) the selected MWF in the editing area; f) creating (106) a manufacturing WF based on the MWF displayed in the editing area (211A).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to methods and systems for auxiliary modeling of manufacturing workflows. More generally, this invention relates to manufacturing operations management (MOM) systems. Background Technology

[0002] A MOM system can be defined as "an information technology functional layer that links business planning with shop floor control systems to provide achievable and realistic production planning to manufacturing." While Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) primarily focus on the "production" pillar, MOM aims to provide broader support for all four categories defined in ISA95: production, maintenance, quality, and inventory.

[0003] A typical MOM system consists of a set of applications that must be integrated and coordinated to provide a complete set of MOM functions required by the target industry.

[0004] Workflows are typically used to model and execute factory and business processes, resulting in better coordination between people, applications, and processes.

[0005] The MES process can be well described by the following workflow: a diagram using precise graphical syntax to represent a set of actions that must be performed and the relationships between those actions (action "A" must precede action "B", action "A" can follow action "B" or action "C", etc.). Formal workflow standards exist, such as those described by the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) standard.

[0006] Unfortunately, workflows can be large and complex, and modeling them can be time-consuming and error-prone. Several solutions exist to aid in workflow creation. For example, some solutions are based on "autocomplete text search," a predictive, recognition-based mechanism used to assist users in text searches. The autocomplete search bar presents items that match the user's text input as the user types. As the user types more text into the search bar, the list of matches narrows down. For graphical modeling of workflows, industry-specific libraries exist, each providing a set of workflow actions for its specific industry sector.

[0007] Therefore, there remains a need for systems and methods that enable users to create workflows more intuitively. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to provide a method and system that can assist users in modeling manufacturing workflows.

[0009] According to the present invention, this objective is achieved by a method and system for auxiliary modeling of manufacturing workflows according to embodiments of the present invention. Preferred embodiments of the present invention present further advantages.

[0010] This invention proposes searching for similarities within a manufacturing workflow and using these similarities to develop a system capable of assisting or automating workflow creation. In fact, the applicant notes that recurring patterns of similar manufacturing processes can be found within the same industry or even across different industry segments. These patterns can serve as guidelines in the creation of manufacturing workflows, enabling the system according to the invention to support users in creating new manufacturing workflows by proposing, for example, missing steps, or to automatically or semi-automatically define the manufacturing workflow.

[0011] According to the present invention, the previously mentioned objective is achieved by a method for automatically assisting users in creating a manufacturing workflow (hereinafter referred to as WF) for manufacturing products—preferably a computer-implemented method—which includes the following steps:

[0012] a) Receives graphical user input in an editing area by means of the system according to the invention, the editing area being designed for creating a manufacturing WF, wherein the graphical user input includes at least a WF start node, the WF start node being optionally connected to at least one first decision or first activity node;

[0013] b) In response to and based on received graphical user input, the system automatically selects one or more MWFs from the meta-workflow—hereinafter referred to as MWF—library, wherein each of the selected MWFs is a graphical pattern that begins with the WF start node or optionally with the WF start node connected to the first decision or activity node and ends with the WF end node, the WF start node and the WF end node being connected to each other by a series or sequence of interconnected decision nodes and / or activity nodes, each of the selected MWFs comprising different series or sequences of interconnected decision nodes and / or activity nodes configured to define the flow of manufacturing operations from the start node to the end node;

[0014] c) The system automatically displays one or more selected MWFs in a display frame or area;

[0015] d) Receive selection of one of the displayed MWFs through the system;

[0016] e) The selected MWF is automatically displayed in the editing area by the system;

[0017] f) The system creates a Manufacturing WF based on the MWF displayed in the editing area, wherein an automatic suggestion process is used to associate each node of the MWF with a manufacturing operation, wherein for each active node, a manufacturing operation involving the action is automatically suggested, and for each decision node, a manufacturing operation involving the decision is automatically suggested. The created Manufacturing WF is then displayed in the editing area. Preferably, the created Manufacturing WF can be automatically sent by the system according to the invention to a production line or MES system to trigger production of the product based on the created Manufacturing WF.

[0018] According to the present invention, a Manufacturing Workflow Function (MWF) is an abstracted Workflow Function (WF) that can be created directly from scratch or derived from an existing WF. According to the present invention, graphical user input also enables users to create MWFs that do not yet exist in the library. An MWF is essentially a WF stripped of all the detailed elements that would make it localized and specialized. Therefore, an MWF is a graphical representation of a real manufacturing WF. This graphical representation is a pattern, structure, or form of an existing real manufacturing WF, but any details specific to the existing manufacturing WF are removed; that is, no details are included within the existing WF and related to specific manufacturing operations involving actions such as the use of specific resources (equipment, materials, and / or personnel). In contrast to a “real” WF, an MWF therefore cannot be directly executed in an MES or MOM system and requires instantiation; that is, each node in the MWF may be associated with a manufacturing operation. The MWF describes the structure of the workflow.

[0019] This invention proposes the creation of a library of Manufacturing Functions (MWFs), comprising several MWFs, wherein each MWF is associated with at least one industry sector and at least one set of semantic tags. Semantic tags can be used to label MWFs. Some MWFs in the library can be created from scratch by the user and stored in the library. Preferably, MWFs or the library are created automatically by abstracting existing manufacturing WFs in the MES system.

[0020] The abstraction of existing manufacturing wrap-around (WF) data in the MES system preferably includes:

[0021] - The manufacturing manufacturing flow (MWF) is automatically selected in the MES database using the system according to the invention. The MWF defines a sequence of manufacturing operations involving manufacturing resources, wherein the sequence begins with a first manufacturing operation and ends with a last manufacturing operation, and includes a pattern of manufacturing operations configured to define a flow (i.e., an organized and orchestrated sequence) of the manufacturing operations from the first to the last operation. Therefore, the manufacturing MWF used within the MES system represents a pattern of manufacturing operations involving manufacturing resources such as equipment and / or materials and / or personnel, and the MWF is intended to represent the logical structure of this flow abstracted from the manufacturing operations.

[0022] - Automatically determine the industrial sector of the manufacturing facility (WF) and automatically determine a set of semantic labels for that WF. Specifically, machine learning techniques, for example, can be used to determine the industrial sector and a set of semantic labels based on information provided by the user or based on the manufacturing operations included within the WF.

[0023] - This system automatically creates a MWF as a graphical representation of a manufacturing WF, wherein the first manufacturing operation is represented by a start node, the last manufacturing operation is represented by an end node, and the pattern of the manufacturing operation is represented by a sequence of interconnected nodes, wherein manufacturing operations involving decisions are represented by decision nodes, and manufacturing operations involving actions are represented by activity nodes, and the interconnections between all nodes are configured to model the pattern of the manufacturing operation and the flow.

[0024] - This system automatically determines whether an MWF—that is, such a graphical representation—already exists in the MWF library, and

[0025] - If so, the industrial sector and the set of semantic tags are automatically associated with the existing MWF if they have not yet been associated, and optionally, the manufacturing operations associated with each node of the MWF are stored for the industrial sector and the set of semantic tags if they have not yet been stored for the associated nodes.

[0026] - If not, the MWF is stored in the library and the industrial sector and the set of semantic tags are associated with the MWF, and optionally, manufacturing operations associated with each node in the MWF are stored for the industrial sector and the set of semantic tags.

[0027] The object of the present invention is also achieved by a system, such as a computing system, configured to automatically assist a user in creating a manufacturing workframe (WF) for manufacturing a product, the system comprising:

[0028] - An interface that includes an editing area for receiving graphical user input and a display box configured to display a set of MWFs;

[0029] -MWF library;

[0030] - Processing unit;

[0031] The processing unit is characterized in that it is configured to perform the steps of the previously described method.

[0032] Preferredly, the method according to the invention includes: automatically modifying the MWF in response to a modification of the pattern or sequence of manufacturing operations of the manufacturing WF created based on the MWF, such that the sequence of interconnect nodes of the modified MWF matches the pattern or sequence of manufacturing operations of the modified manufacturing WF; and automatically updating another manufacturing WF also created based on the MWF, such that the sequence of interconnect nodes of the modified MWF matches the pattern or sequence of manufacturing operations of the updated other manufacturing WF. Preferably, the updated other manufacturing WF can then be automatically sent to the MES system for production based on the updated manufacturing workflow. Due to this process, if a user notices that the currently used manufacturing workflow needs to be corrected for any reason, the user can edit the manufacturing WF in the edit area, and the modification automatically triggers a modification of the MWF from which the manufacturing workflow was created. Optionally, any manufacturing WF created based on the same MWF (i.e., based on the version of the MWF before the modification) is automatically updated to take the modification into account. Due to this process, different manufacturing WFs used in the MES system can be centrally and automatically corrected or updated.

[0033] Finally, the present invention also relates to a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that can be executed by a processing unit to cause a computing system to perform the steps of the claimed method. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are depicted as follows:

[0035] Figure 1 A preferred embodiment of the method according to the present invention is illustrated schematically;

[0036] Figure 2 A system according to the present invention for automatically assisting a user in creating a manufacturing WF is schematically depicted;

[0037] Figure 3 A preferred embodiment of the interface according to the present invention is described;

[0038] Figure 4 A schematic example of a process for abstracting an existing manufacturing WF into a MWF is depicted. Detailed Implementation

[0039] This invention relates to the technical field of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES / MOM). Figure 1 The steps of the method according to the invention are illustrated schematically, and Figure 2 A preferred embodiment of a system 200 for automatically assisting a user in creating a manufacturing WF, according to the present invention, is provided.

[0040] In the Figure 2In the illustrated example, the system 200 according to the invention is generally a computing system and includes a processing unit 210, an interface 211 (e.g., a screen), and a MWF library 212. The processing unit 210 includes one or more processors and optionally includes memory. According to the invention, the processing unit preferably includes at least one pattern recognition algorithm for determining patterns of manufacturing MWFs, and may optionally be configured to use machine learning techniques, particularly for automatic suggestion processing. The interface 211 specifically includes: an editing area 211A configured to receive graphical user input; and a display frame 211B configured to display one or more MWFs and to enable a user to select one of the displayed MWFs. Figure 3 Interface 211 is shown in more detail. Editing area 211A allows the user to design, create, or edit manufacturing WFs by providing graphical input, such as node 4, and selecting manufacturing operations that can be suggested to the user by the system according to the invention for each node. The user can select graphical input from the graphical input list and then add the graphical input to editing area 211A, for example, using the click and drag-and-drop functionality of the system according to the invention. Processing unit 210, through its connection to interface 211 and library 212, can automatically identify the graphical input made by the user in editing area 211A, and processing unit 210 is configured to automatically search in library 212 for MWFs that may correspond to the currently created manufacturing WF in the editing area. Processing unit 210 then uses display box 211B to display one or more MWFs, such as MWF1, MWF2, MWF3 (see...). Figure 3 Processing unit 210 preferably provides suggestions for MWFs in real time to complete the manufacturing WF currently being created in editing area 211A. Any changes to editing area 211A may result in changes to the list of MWFs displayed in display box 211B. The suggestions for MWFs in display box 211B allow the user to select one of the displayed MWFs, whereby the system then automatically completes the manufacturing WF so that it becomes identical to the selected MWF. This concept optimizes and accelerates the modeling phase of manufacturing WFs.

[0041] System 200 can be connected to MES system 231 at production site 230 via its processing unit 210. Production site 230 may include one or more production lines 232 and other resources for producing products via said production lines 232, such as equipment and / or materials 233 and personnel. The MES is configured to manage product production by means of the production lines 232 and according to manufacturing workflows defined in a database within MES system 231.

[0042] This manufacturing workflow is presented in Figure 4 The corresponding MWF is presented in box 4A. This invention proposes using abstraction processing 4C to abstract existing manufacturing WFs stored in the MES database for the purpose of automatically creating MWFs. Figure 4 A simple example of the abstract processing 4C according to the invention is presented. First, the system according to the invention automatically selects a manufacturing workflow (WF) in the MES database. A manufacturing WF can also be added as input to the abstract processing in the editing area 211A. As shown in box 4A, the manufacturing WF defines a sequence of manufacturing operations that begins with a first manufacturing operation 411 and ends with a last manufacturing operation 414, and includes a pattern of manufacturing operations—including decision manufacturing operation 412 and activity manufacturing operation 413, i.e., manufacturing operations involving actions—between the first and last manufacturing operations and connected to them. Different manufacturing operations are connected to each other by arrows 410 describing the flow of manufacturing operations—i.e., according to the order in which manufacturing operations must be completed or executed when reaching the last manufacturing operation 414 from the first manufacturing operation 411. The manufacturing workflow is preferably defined for an industrial sector such as pharmaceuticals, automotive, etc. The system according to the invention is configured to determine the industrial sector based on information related to the workflow and / or information provided by the user, and is configured to automatically create a set of semantic tags for the manufacturing WF. The semantic tags can be determined based on the manufacturing operations of the manufacturing WF, for example, based on the resources used.

[0043] The result of the abstract processing according to the invention is shown in box 4B. The system according to the invention automatically creates a Manufacturing Function (MWF) based on a Manufacturing Function (WF) in the MES database or based on a WF entered by the user in editing area 211A, where the MWF is a graphical representation of an existing, real manufacturing WF. For this purpose, the system according to the invention automatically creates a start node 421 for the first manufacturing operation 411 and an end node 424 for the last manufacturing operation 414. These two nodes are then connected to each other via a node pattern that models the pattern of manufacturing operations for the existing WF. This node pattern is represented by a sequence of interconnected nodes, where a decision manufacturing operation 412 is represented by a decision node 422, and an active manufacturing operation 413 is represented by an active node 423. The interconnections between nodes are represented by arrows 420 to model the pattern of manufacturing operations and the exact flow of manufacturing operations. In other words, the sequence of decision nodes and active nodes from the start node to the end node matches the sequence of manufacturing operations from the first manufacturing operation to the last manufacturing operation. The difference between a manufacturing workframe (WF) and its associated management workframe (MFW) is that the associated MFW does not contain information about the operations that must be performed and / or the resources that must be used, or the decisions that must be made. The associated MFW only includes the structure and organizational sequence of the WF and its logic. Finally, if the MFW does not exist, it is stored in a library.

[0044] In fact, an advantage of this invention is that a MWF defined for a specific industrial sector can also be used in another industrial sector. Therefore, the amount of data that needs to be stored in a library to represent all possible workflows is greatly reduced. In effect, the same MWF, i.e., the graphical representation, can be used for different industrial applications. Then, the implementation of the MWF only requires instantiating each node of that MWF.

[0045] For this purpose, the system creates or updates, in its library and simultaneously with the abstraction process performed within the system, a list of manufacturing operations relating to actions for each active node and a list of manufacturing operations relating to decisions for each decision node, for each node of the MWF. In other words, for each node of the MWF, the system is configured to store the manufacturing operations corresponding to that node in the manufacturing WF. Therefore, different lists of manufacturing operations can exist for the same node, each specifically defined for an industrial sector. Thus, a user can select an industrial sector in the system according to the invention to automatically obtain a list of manufacturing operations corresponding to the selected industrial sector for each node. Such lists of manufacturing operations are then stored in a library for each node of each MWF and for each industrial sector in which the MWF can be applied. Manufacturing operations involving actions include, for example: assembly, testing, painting, welding, cutting, sorting, imaging, drying, dispatching, packaging, measuring, inspecting, printing, etc. Manufacturing operations involving decisions include, for example: measuring delays and determining whether the delay is greater than or less than a predetermined value; counting the number of products and determining whether the number is greater than or less than a predetermined number of products; measuring the value of a physical quantity and determining whether the value falls within a predetermined range or is greater than or less than a predetermined value; determining whether any problems exist, etc. The decision is related to a yes or no answer, and depending on the answer, the flow of operations will follow different sequences of subsequent manufacturing operations; for example, if the response is yes, a first sequence is followed, and if the response is no, a second sequence is followed.

[0046] Back Figure 1 The preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention is shown in more detail, the steps of which are as follows:

[0047] At step 101, the system 200 according to the invention receives graphical user input in editing area 211A. This graphical user input is typically drawn graphical elements, such as nodes, added to the editing area 211A. The graphical user input includes at least a start node 411. Of course, the user can provide additional graphical elements, i.e., additional nodes, such as connections between the start node and at least one first decision or first activity node. The graphical user input may also include information about the industrial domain and / or semantic tags related to the manufacturing WF to be created.

[0048] At step 102, system 200 automatically selects one or more MWFs from the MWF library. This selection depends on the received graphical user input; that is, the system automatically determines which MWFs from the system's library include the exact sequence of nodes entered by the user in the editing area. Additionally and preferably, if the user provides a semantic tag and / or industry domain, the system will automatically limit its search for MWFs to those applying that semantic tag and / or industry domain. At the end of the search or determination process, the selected MWF, displayed in display box 211B, is characterized by: a graphical pattern starting with the graphical user input—i.e., the MWF start node used as input in the editing area; or optionally, a graphical pattern starting with the MWF start node connected to the first decision or active node. The selected MWF additionally includes a MWF end node and a sequence of interconnected decision nodes and / or active nodes connecting the MWF start node to the MWF end node. The different MWFs found by the system in its library each present a different sequence of interconnected decision nodes and / or activity nodes, allowing different manufacturing operation sequences to be used to complete the graphical user input and thus complete the process of manufacturing operations from the start node to the end node.

[0049] At step 103, in response to the graphical user input, the system automatically displays the MWF selected or found in the MWF library in display box 211B.

[0050] At step 104, the system receives a selection of one of the displayed MWFs. Preferably, the user can select the MWF by clicking on it. Alternatively, click and drag-and-drop processing can be implemented to move the user-selected MWF from the display box to the input box. In particular, selecting an MWF in the display box automatically displays additional nodes in the editing area necessary to make the node sequence shown in the editing area identical to the node sequence of the selected MWF, for example, by highlighting them. If the selection of the MWF is verified by the user (e.g., using a double-click function), the graphical user input is completed automatically.

[0051] At step 105, the system automatically displays the selected MWF in the editing area. In other words, as previously described, the system automatically completes the graphical user input using any additional nodes required to make the node sequence in the editing area identical to the node sequence of the selected MWF. Therefore, the selected MWF is imported into the editing area.

[0052] At step 106, the system creates a manufacturing WF based on the MWF displayed in the editing area. This creation can be fully automatic or semi-automatic. It is fully automatic when the system can determine all manufacturing operations that must be associated with each node. For this purpose, the system can use information provided by the user in graphical user input, particularly information related to semantic tags and / or industry sectors, to automatically associate manufacturing operations with each node based on a list of manufacturing operations stored in a library. Specifically, machine learning techniques can be used for this processing. The system can also provide automatic suggestion processing to assist the user in associating each node of the MWF displayed in the editing area with manufacturing operations. In this case, manufacturing operations involving actions are automatically suggested for each active node, and manufacturing operations involving decisions are automatically suggested for each decision node. Preferably, the system displays a list of manufacturing operations associated with each node of the MWF, as stored in a library, in a display box, and if the displayed list is provided by the user, the displayed list depends on the industry sector and / or semantic tags.

[0053] The created Manufacturing Worksheet (WF) can be automatically transmitted or sent by system 200 to the Manufacturing Execution System (MES), whereby the MES automatically manages product production based on the received WF. Optionally, system 200 according to the invention includes or is connected to at least one detection system configured to automatically detect manufacturing events (e.g., failures, bottlenecks, congestion, etc.) that require modification of the WF defined for the product during production. In such cases, in response to the event, system 200 can be configured to automatically modify the currently used WF that caused the event based on detection data provided by the detection system. Preferably, any modification to a WF already created based on a WF in a library can trigger automatic modification of the WF to create a modified WF such that the sequence of interconnecting nodes of the modified WF matches the pattern or sequence of manufacturing operations of the modified WF. Preferably, if a Manufacturing Workforce (MWF) in the library—referred to as the “initial MWF”—is modified, for example, in response to the event or in response to user modification, the modification produces a modified MWF. The system is then configured to automatically modify any Manufacturing Workforce (WF) created based on the initial MWF—referred to as the “initial Manufacturing WF”—such that the initial Manufacturing WF is replaced by a modified Manufacturing WF automatically created by the system according to the invention based on the modified MWF. The newly created modified Manufacturing WF can be automatically sent to the MES system using the initial Manufacturing WF, wherein the newly created modified Manufacturing WF automatically triggers the replacement of the initial Manufacturing WF with the newly created modified Manufacturing WF.

[0054] In summary, the present invention advantageously provides systems and methods that assist users in creating manufacturing fabricated funnels (WFs). The proposed solution enables the optimization of WF modeling activities to reduce errors in WF creation and thus reduce potential failures in production.

Claims

1. A method for automatically assisting users in creating a manufacturing workflow (WF) for manufacturing products, the method comprising the following steps: a) Receive (101) graphical user input in an editing area (211A), the editing area (211A) being designed for creating a manufacturing WF, wherein the graphical user input includes at least a WF start node; b) In response to and based on the received graphical user input, automatically select (102) one or more MWFs in the meta-workflow MWF library (212), wherein each of the selected MWFs is a graphical pattern that begins with the WF start node and ends with the WF end node, the WF start node and the WF end node being connected to each other by a sequence of interconnected decision nodes (412) and / or activity nodes (413), each of the selected MWFs including a different sequence of the interconnected decision nodes (412) and / or activity nodes (413), wherein the library (212) is automatically created by abstracting existing manufacturing WFs in the MES system, wherein abstracting existing manufacturing WFs in the MES system includes: - Automatically select a manufacturing WF in the MES database, wherein the manufacturing WF defines a sequence of manufacturing operations involving manufacturing resources, wherein the sequence of manufacturing operations begins with a first manufacturing operation and ends with a last manufacturing operation, and includes a pattern of manufacturing operations configured to define a flow of manufacturing operations from the first manufacturing operation to the last manufacturing operation between the first manufacturing operation and the last manufacturing operation. - Automatically determine the industrial sector in which the WF is manufactured, and automatically determine a set of semantic tags for the WF; - Automatically create a MWF as a graphical representation of the manufacturing WF, wherein the first manufacturing operation is represented by a start node, the last manufacturing operation is represented by an end node, and the pattern of the manufacturing operation is represented by a sequence of interconnected nodes, wherein manufacturing operations involving decisions are represented by decision nodes, and manufacturing operations involving actions are represented by activity nodes, and the interconnections between all nodes are configured to model the pattern of the manufacturing operation and the flow. - Automatically determine whether the MWF already exists in the MWF library, and - If the MWF exists, the industrial sector and the set of semantic tags are automatically associated with the existing MWF if they have not yet been associated. Optionally, the manufacturing operations associated with each node of the MWF are stored for the industrial sector and the set of semantic tags if they have not yet been stored for the relevant nodes. - If the MWF does not exist, the MWF is stored in the library and the industrial sector and the set of semantic tags are associated with the MWF. Optionally, the manufacturing operation associated with each node of the MWF is stored for the industrial sector and the set of semantic tags. c) Automatically display one or more of the selected MWFs (103) in the display box (211B); d) Receive (104) a selection of one of the displayed MWFs; e) The selected MWF (105) is automatically displayed in the editing area; f) Create (106) a manufacturing WF based on the MWF displayed in the editing area (211A), wherein an automatic suggestion process is used to associate each node of the MWF with a manufacturing operation, wherein for each active node (413), a manufacturing operation involving an action is automatically suggested, and for each decision node (412), a manufacturing operation involving a decision is automatically suggested.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The graphical user input includes industry domains and / or semantic tags.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The automatic suggestion process includes: automatically determining, for each node and based on the industry domain and / or semantic tags, a list of manufacturing operations relating to actions for each active node and a list of manufacturing operations relating to decisions for each decision node; and automatically displaying the corresponding list for the node selected by the user in the editing area.

4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein, The MWF library (212) includes multiple MWFs, wherein each MWF is associated with at least one industrial sector and at least one set of semantic tags.

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: The created manufacturing workframe (WF) is automatically used in the MES system (231), which is configured to set up, execute and monitor the production of the product based on the created manufacturing WF.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: Receive modifications to a created Manufacturing Workforce (WF); and automatically and accordingly modify the Manufacturing Workforce (MWF) from which the WF was created, such that the sequence of interconnect nodes of the MWF matches the sequence of manufacturing operations of the modified WF; and automatically update another WF also created from the MWF, such that the sequence of manufacturing operations of the updated WF matches the sequence of interconnect nodes of the modified MWF.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: Automatically detect manufacturing events during the production of the product that require modification of the created manufacturing workframe (WF) defined for the product. And automatically modify the created manufacturing WF to eliminate the event.

8. A system (200) configured to automatically assist a user in creating a manufacturing worksheet (WF) for manufacturing a product, the system (200) comprising: - Interface (211), the interface (211) includes an editing area (211A) for receiving graphical user input and a display frame (211B) configured to display a set of MWFs. - MWF library (212); - Processing unit (210); The processing unit (210) is characterized in that it is configured to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

9. The system (200) of claim 8, comprising: The created manufacturing workframe (WF) is automatically used in the MES system (231), which is configured to set up, execute and monitor the production of the product based on the created manufacturing WF.

10. The system (200) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein The system (200) is configured to: automatically modify the manufacturing manufacturing fairing (MWF) for the product in response to manufacturing events in the production of the product; and automatically and accordingly modify the corresponding manufacturing fairing (MWF) in the library to create the modified MWF; The system (200) also includes: an automatic update of another manufacturing WF for the production of the product or another manufacturing WF for the production of another product, wherein the other manufacturing WF is based on the MWF and is updated to match the modified MWF, and the system (200) further includes: a detection system for automatically detecting manufacturing events in the production of the product, wherein eliminating the event requires changing the manufacturing WF defined for the product.

11. The system (200) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein, The processing unit (210) includes at least one pattern recognition algorithm for determining the pattern of manufacturing WF.

12. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that can be executed by a processing unit (210) to enable a computing system (200): a) receiving (101) a graphical user input in an editing area (211 A) designed for creating a manufacturing WF, wherein, The graphical user input includes at least the WF start node; b) In response to and based on the received graphical user input, automatically select (102) one or more MWFs in the MWF library (212), wherein each of the selected MWFs is a graphical pattern that begins with the WF start node and ends with the WF end node, the WF start node and the WF end node being connected to each other by a sequence of interconnected decision nodes and / or activity nodes, each of the selected MWFs comprising a different series or sequence of the interconnected decision nodes and / or activity nodes, wherein the library (212) is automatically created by abstracting existing manufacturing WFs in the MES system, wherein abstracting existing manufacturing WFs in the MES system includes: - Automatically select a manufacturing WF in the MES database, wherein the manufacturing WF defines a sequence of manufacturing operations involving manufacturing resources, wherein the sequence of manufacturing operations begins with a first manufacturing operation and ends with a last manufacturing operation, and includes a pattern of manufacturing operations configured to define a flow of manufacturing operations from the first manufacturing operation to the last manufacturing operation between the first manufacturing operation and the last manufacturing operation. - Automatically determine the industrial sector in which the WF is manufactured, and automatically determine a set of semantic tags for the WF; - Automatically create a MWF as a graphical representation of the manufacturing WF, wherein the first manufacturing operation is represented by a start node, the last manufacturing operation is represented by an end node, and the pattern of the manufacturing operation is represented by a sequence of interconnected nodes, wherein manufacturing operations involving decisions are represented by decision nodes, and manufacturing operations involving actions are represented by activity nodes, and the interconnections between all nodes are configured to model the pattern of the manufacturing operation and the flow. - Automatically determine whether the MWF already exists in the MWF library, and - If the MWF exists, the industrial sector and the set of semantic tags are automatically associated with the existing MWF if they have not yet been associated. Optionally, the manufacturing operations associated with each node of the MWF are stored for the industrial sector and the set of semantic tags if they have not yet been stored for the relevant nodes. - If the MWF does not exist, the MWF is stored in the library and the industrial sector and the set of semantic tags are associated with the MWF. Optionally, the manufacturing operation associated with each node of the MWF is stored for the industrial sector and the set of semantic tags. c) Automatically display one or more of the selected MWFs (103) in the display box (211B); d) Receive (104) a selection of one of the displayed MWFs; e) The selected MWF (105) is automatically displayed in the editing area; f) Create (106) a manufacturing WF based on the MWF displayed in the editing area (211A), wherein an automatic suggestion process is used to associate each node of the MWF with a manufacturing operation, wherein for each active node, a manufacturing operation involving an action is automatically suggested, and for each decision node, a manufacturing operation involving a decision is automatically suggested.

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