According to Luhmann (1984), emergence is something unpredictable, not previously determinable. In principle, three states are important:

• A stable condition is always assumed as the initial situation.
• Then an "irritation" occurs, and then something is in motion.
• This next period is then referred to as the "emergent phase" when something truly unpredictable happens. It is important that this "emergent phase" is only completed when a stable state is reached again.

True to the motto "the whole is different from its parts", the research group on the emergent factory is concerned with the identification and application of emergence to maximize the adaptability and flexibility of production systems. In this context, the emergent factory refers to an overall system that offers the possibility of responding to unforeseen influences through the self-organization and communication of its subsystems. Through the interaction of the different actors of the overall system, new properties and (action) structures can be created and the robustness against irritations can be increased.

The following overview provides a list of the topics and associated questions.

Publication recommendations:

– Panzer, M.; Bender, B.; Gronau, N. (2022): Neural agent-based production planning and control: An architectural review, Journal of Manufacturing Systems, S. 743-766. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmsy.2022.10.019
– Ullrich, André (2018): Eigenschaften wandlungsfähiger Systeme – Erarbeitung eines Indikatorsystems. ISBN: 3955452654