Production System Interaction Model (PSIM): A Cause–Effect Model for the Ex-Ante Assessment of Manufacturing System Design

Manufacturing system design requires decisions whose operational and economic effects cannot yet be observed at the time the decisions are made and, particularly for long-term system effects, can only be quantified to a limited extent. This paper develops the Production System Interaction Model (PSIM), a conceptual cause–effect model for the ex-ante assessment of such design decisions. The PSIM extends the conventional consideration of performance objectives and production factors by two additional perspectives: systemic design objectives and design spaces. Time, complexity, and changeability serve as systemic assessment dimensions, while product, process, control, factory-type, layout, and infrastructure design structure the essential interdependent design decisions. In total, the model links 16 elements through 34 primary causal relationships. It thereby makes direct, indirect, delayed, and reciprocal effects visible without requiring complete monetization. The PSIM does not replace simulation or economic evaluation; rather, it logically precedes them by providing cause–effect knowledge for the development and assessment of coherent design alternatives. Systematic empirical evaluation of the model remains a subject for future research.