Some issues on holonic systems analysis, design and implementation

This contribution reveals some problems concerning the use of holonic manufacturing systems. These regard both the design and implementation phases and they can be discovered since the system analysis. A new Petri net based model is proposed for the holonic system organized according to the Contract Net Protocol coordination scheme. Certain weaknesses are discovered both at the model and implementation levels and some solutions are sketched. These are illustrated with a case from an experimental manufacturing environment that could exemplify the problems regarding the resource sharing and holons' coordination.