A virtual engineering based approach to verify structural complexity of component-based automation systems in early design phase

Highly diverse factors including technological advancements, uncertain global market and mass personalisation are believed to be main causes of ever-growing complexity of manufacturing systems. Although complex systems may be needed to achieve global manufacturing requirements, complexity affects on various factors, such as: system development effort and cost, ease of re-configuration, level of skill required across the system life-cycle (e.g. design, operate and maintain). This article aims to develop a scientifically valid and industrially applicable complexity assessment approach to support early life-cycle phases of component-based automation systems against unwanted implications of structural system complexity.