Advanced manufacturing systems (AMS) are increasingly becoming vulnerable to disturbances. There is a need to set up strategies for problem solving related to production disturbances, user-oriented IT support systems production-, and maintenance adjustments. This paper presents results from a case study of a problem-solving process related to production disturbances at an automated assembly plant for car bodies. An approach called CoPE is suggested for continuous and co-operated problem solving at three levels: Correction, Prevention, and Elimination of production disturbances, where the overall aim is to predict and eliminate problems in product- and process development phases.