Intelligent control of an internal supply chain in the hard disk drive industry

Simulation-based control of discrete event systems has been a potential approach to support decisionmaking in the manufacturing scenario. In this paper, a new simulation-based robust control mechanism is presented. The proposed algorithm utilizes neural network feedforward control plus robust proportional derivative feedback control to achieve significant control performance and output stability. A new learning mechanism and topological structure for neural networks and a new robust controller is investigated. The stability of the proposed controller is proved in detail. The proposed controller is implemented in an Extend(TM) environment and the effectiveness and usefulness of the proposed controller are verified in the hard disk drive assembly process, a significant component of Singapore's manufacturing economy.