The purpose of the works done is to produce a set of tools to aid the preliminary design and global optimisation of complex multiphysical systems through synthesis.

At present, most existing formalisms allow describing fully defined systems, i.e. solutions to an initial design problem. They do not allow describing the entirety of a design problem and, a priori, by specifying the properties that must verify the resulting system, the requirements to be satisfied, the constants of the problem, the unknowns (variables of design and architecture), the potential architectures in intension (contrary to a description in extension). Likewise, there is no synthesis (not analysis) software tool that allows interpreting this description of the problem in such a way as to use the properties and requirements expressed and to generate one or several system solutions that necessary verify the said properties and requirements by construction (Model Based System Synthesis or MBSS).

The problems that we seek to model and solve concern dimensioning, configuration, the allocation and synthesis of the architecture of technical systems, and goods and service production systems.

To do this, we participate in the specification and development of DEPS formalism (www.depslink.com) and in the production works of the modelling, compilation and integrated solution software workshop, DEPS Studio. The solving techniques used are those of constraint programming in mixed domains.

Another part of the works involves establishing an approach to modelling mathematical programming problems (especially linear), starting from the transformation of a UML type model to produce a linear programming model in view to solving it with a CPLEX type solver.

 Our works are applied to hard and software systems, and mechanical, electrical, embedded and Cyber-Physical systems. All these works lead to developing model-oriented approaches to represent and solve complex system designs.

The massive introduction of complex technologies in systems makes them potentially very sensitive to obsolescence. The obsolescence of a component/ technology automatically increases the operational risks of systems insofar as any action to retrofit and upgrade it becomes difficult if not impossible. All the actors of the value chain, as well as consumers, are vulnerable to functional risks (non-performance of the functions expected) and non-functional risks (degraded performance) due to obsolescence. The solution of the problems raised by obsolescence can lead to industrial risks associated with high costs. The challenges can be structured in two dimensions :

1. Problem-posing.

Previous works described the phenomenon of obsolescence as essentially a problem linked to the non-availability or non-suitability of components (SD-22,2016), (NATO,2001), (Feldman and Sandborn,2007). However, there are no models associated with situation. The works planned for this action should lead to proposing a data model by relying on systems engineering concepts in order to define the different types of obsolescence and rarefaction (Zolghadri et al.,2020).

2. Problem-solving.

Reactive obsolescence management methods are clearly defined in reports and Guide Books such as (SD-22,2016), (ISO 62404) and (Bartles et al.,2012), although problems remain to be solved, like the long-term storage of components. Promising areas of investigation point to proactive and strategic methods (Sandborn,2013).

The paths of research that we have identified are therefore :

-Reactive management :

• Long-term storage of electronic components. [Boissie,2019]
• The definition and estimation of the total costs of obsolescence management.

-Proactive management :

• Prediction of the degree of obsolescence. (Jennings et al.,2016), (Zolghadri et al.,2020) (PhD thesis by Mrs Imen Trabelsi in proress, Quartz-Supméca) ;
• Definition and estimation of risk (functional and degradation of performance) of exposure of a system to the obsolescence of components /functions/technologies. (PhD thesis by Mrs Sophia Salas, ISAE-Supaéro / Quartz-Supméca).

-Strategic management :

• (Re-)Design of systems resilient to obsolescence. (PhD theses by Mrs Sophia Salas, ISAE-Supaéro / Quartz-Supméca and Amel Soltane, Quartz-Supméca)

French Institute of Obsolescence

Driven by the observation according to which obsolescence and its impacts must be treated with the greatest care by linking it with academic research and with industrial practices, Kevin Boissié, Sid-Ali Addouche and Marc Zolghadri founded the “National Institute of Obsolescence” in December 2018. The IFO is a non-profit association.

This subtopic covers research in the areas of supply chains and goods production systems. Its purpose is to control, reconfigure and improve performances. 

1. Supply chains

The objective of these works is to develop decision-aid tools and methods to improve performances and reorganise supply chains by taking account of environmental and societal performances. These works have been the subject of several PhD theses already defended or in progress and cover several aspects of supply chains, according to the domain :

• Pharmaceutical sector : the aim of the PhD thesis of Mrs EL MOKRINI (2018), jointly supervised with the Mohammedia Engineering School of Rabat, was to redesign the supply chain of pharmaceutical products in the Moroccan public sector. The different configurations of the chain were designed and evaluated in collaboration with the Moroccan Ministry of Health. In this study, multicriteria decision-aid and fuzzy logic methods were used to help decision-makers choose the best configuration for the chain. 
• The agri-food sector : The purpose of the PhD thesis of Hatem ELLEUCH (2018) was to control the vulnerability of the supply chain in the agri-food sector. The PhD thesis of Emna TURKI focused on the same sector, and dealt with the problem of multi-depot and multi-vehicle localisation-routing at two levels, with stock management in the case of the company GIPA.
• Urban logistics : we also mention the research currently being carried out in the framework of the TOUBKAL project (Campus France) to localise and manage urban distribution centres (case of the Casablanca city). These works are the subject of PhD theses by Youssef MELLIANI and Maha BENANI in progress.
• Drone delivery (TROUDI 2019) : dimensioning a databank for the delivery of parcels and its maintenance in operational condition.

The reconfiguration of supply chains essentially involves their production systems, their information systems and their trade processes. The latter play a crucial role in ensuring a reconfigurable chain. We propose an approach based on a quality procedure by introducing the improvements required to successfully reconfigure the trade processes. The objective of our works is to propose a decision-aid tool to ensure a selective change to optimise the performance of a supply chain reconfiguration project. From this viewpoint, the scientific limitations are linked to the change management and measuring the performances of sociotechnical systems. The industrial limitations are :

• Adaptation to fluctuating markets, the aptitude to react to and anticipate hazards.
• Controlling flows and trade processes.

- Three PhD these are ongoing :

• Slim ZIDI : "Contribution to the reconfiguration of supply chains : case of trade processes of the extended company"
• Jésus KOMBAYA : "Contribution to modelling and managing configurations of reconfigurable production systems"
• Hana EYADI : "Contribution to designing sustainable urban logistics : a decision-aid tool for goods transport"
  2. Managing and configuring production systems

(Construction ongoing)

• Maintenance in operation condition
• Performance indicators
• Industry 4.0