Reconfiguration focused on device 'skills'

In the reconfigurable manufacturing system concept, production entities are designed to be added, removed or modified quickly to respond to changing production needs. The plug-and-produce paradigm, the factory analogue of plug-and-play in the computer industry, has been the most prominent practical approach to implementation. However, it has focused primarily on interoperability of components and services.

Scientists are evolving that concept to include consideration of the capabilities and 'skills' of the new devices and their impact on the overall capabilities of the production system. EU support of the project 'Skill-based propagation of "plug&produce"-devices in reconfigurable production systems by AML' (SKILLPRO) is helping to make this possible.

The system architecture consists of three main components: the Asset Management System, the Manufacturing Execution System and the Skill Execution Engine. It is based on the open standard Automation Markup Language (AML), a data format for storage and exchange in industrial control systems.


In the first project phase, all three modules were designed and a common architecture was chosen. The concept of skill was formalised and incorporated into the AML standard. The first prototypes were demonstrated at the mid-term review. They illustrated the basic functionalities of the three framework components, a mobile dashboard for human operators and a visualisation of the shop floor. Researchers presented the project at the third and fourth European Commission workshops on the Impact of the Public–Private Partnership 'Factories of the Future' (FoF PPP) in 2013 and 2014.


The SKILLPRO platform, taking into account the skills and capabilities of all plug-and-produce modules, is expected to significantly enhance the competitiveness of EU manufacturers. It will reduce ramp-up time and overall production lead time while enhancing energy efficiency and flexibility. The result will reduce costs while helping manufacturers deliver what their customers want when they need it. Watch the project’s video.