Commissioning-based framework to enhance asset life cycles in manufacturing environments

Abstract

Production environments and their constituent assets often deviate from their original design intent because of design assumptions, variability in materials and processes, and external stressors. Furthermore, assets are not always used as intended, requiring mechanisms to validate their performance over time. Traditionally, commissioning ensures compliance with client requirements before operational deployment but is typically treated as a one-time event. This study extends the concept of commissioning to support ongoing validation throughout the entire asset lifecycle using a commissioning-based framework. This framework enables the assessment of current configurations and exploration of future scenarios, allowing for context-aware (re)commissioning by balancing a priori and a posteriori activities. Commissioning thereby shifts to an integral and iterative process that facilitates alignment between evolving requirements and actual system behaviour, supporting better-informed decision-making.