Data continuity and traceability in complex manufacturing systems: a graph-based modeling approach

Modern industrial production systems are facing the challenge of interconnecting and exploiting the increasing amount of data from smart products, software systems, and IIoT devices. One of the main tasks in this context is the implementation of a data-continuous traceability system, which interconnects the heterogeneous data objects over the entire production flow. While traceability maturity is already high in regulated and process-driven industries, the established traceability solutions cannot be successfully applied to customized and volatile industries. In this research, a graph-based traceability modeling methodology is presented that allows the systematic development of data continuity and integration in manufacturing. Based on the traceability methodology, the graph data model and architecture are specified, which are aligned to the requirements of customized and complex manufacturing systems. The model is implemented and validated based on a Neo4j graph database for the use case of the manufacturing process of automotive electrical systems. This research overcomes the shortcomings of state-of-the-art traceability models by shifting the focus to the relationships between traceability-relevant data objects. The proposed graph-based traceability model is able to capture multi-hierarchical product structures and is less dependent on physical object identification, making it more applicable to customized and complex manufacturing.