This research stream focusses on existing MFC systems. It seeks to explore how these systems need to be adapted when an item-centric perspective is adopted. Pull approaches to MFC are essentially cybernetic systems. A cybernetic-systems consists of four element: 

(i) a variable to be controlled; 

(ii) a measure to capture the aspect of the variable that is controlled; 

(iii) a target value, expressed in this measure that triggers a signal; and, 

(iv) control action in response to this signal. 

For example, in the case of MFC systems such as Workload Control or Kanban:

(i) the variable to be controlled is the inventory in the queue or at the stock point; 

(ii) the measure used is the number of flow items or the workload; 

(iii) the target value is the so called Work-in-Process cap; and,

(iv) the control action is the decision whether to release new work to the production system or not. 

It is apparent that elements (i) to (iii) all base on the underlying assumption that a location-based view is adopted. Adopting an item-centric perspective will change the variables, measures and targets. Our group explores the need for redesign and how this change will influence the performance of different production control solutions. 

The main vehicle to realize this is discrete event simulation.