Introduction Factory design is the specification of functional requirements for a new factory or the specification of functional changes to an existing factory. Factory design is essentially initiated upon formalization of a product or set of products that must be manufactured. Once designed, the factory is subjected to a continuous cycle of redesign that is only complete when the factory has served its useful life, which can include the manufacture of products not conceived during the original design. The design of a factory and the implications of this design on the manufacture of goods typically involves millions of dollars in expenditures. Recent estimates are that 8 percent of the U.S. gross national product (GNP) can be attributed to new factory design and construction (Tompkins and White 1984).

This article provides a discussion of factory design and an artificial intelligence (AI) approach to this problem. Major issues covered include knowledge acquisition and representation, design methodology, system architecture, and communication. The facilities design expert systems (FADES developed by the author is presented and described to illustrate issues in factory design.

This article provides a discussion of factory design and an artificial intelligence (AI) approach to this problem. Major issues covered include knowledge acquisition and representation, design methodology, system architecture, and communication. The facilities design expert systems (FADES developed by the author is presented and described to illustrate issues in factory design.