Book excerpt: This book presents a framework and specific methods and tools for the selection and configuration of the capacity of Advanced Manufacturing Systems (AMS). AMS include Flexible Manufacturing Systems, Dedicated Manufacturing Systems, and Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems. Starting from the characteristic of the competitive environment, the directions given by the company strategy, data regarding the products, and information regarding the different system architectures, the decision support system described here aids the decision maker by means of a formalized methodology that follows the various steps required to define the type and timing of 'capacity' acquisition and to define the detailed configuration of AMS along its life cycle. The decision making framework and tools illustrated in this volume combine decision-making theory, optimization theory, discrete event simulation and queuing networks. It will be of interest to graduate students and researchers involved in manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering and operations research.