SoS applications in production/manufacturing domain: a review and discussion

System of systems (SoS) approaches have become prevalent in the production/manufacturing domain in recent years. These approaches integrate various discipline models and modeling paradigms to represent a production/manufacturing-related system aiming to holistically analyze and optimize operations and intelligent decision-making, further improving the performances of the production system and product qualities. However, applying SoS to the production/manufacturing domain is challenging and requires systematic analysis and operation to cope with its complexity. In this paper, we conduct a systematic review to investigate how SoS has been applied in the production/manufacturing domain. Based on the 34 articles obtained through systematic reviews, this paper analyzes the current research status from two aspects: data summary analysis and systematic literature review. Through detailed analysis, the definition of production SoS is given. Furthermore, the classification of production SoS is given by vertical enterprise dimension and horizontal life cycle dimension. We also give a criterion for production SoS based on the characteristics of ABCDE. Finally, feasible future research directions and enabling technologies are discussed from six perspectives, providing valuable insights and references for researchers and technicians in the field, to promote the development of this field.