Simulation in manufacturing systems

This technique represents a valuable tool used by engineers when evaluating the effect of capital investment in equipment and physical facilities like factory plants, warehouses, and distribution centers.

Measures which can be obtained by a simulation analysis are: Some other benefits include Just-in-time manufacturing, calculation of optimal resources required, validation of the proposed operation logic for controlling the system, and data collected during modelling that may be used elsewhere.

Nowadays, there is software available that combines the flexibility and user friendliness of both, but still some authors have reported that the use of this simulation to design and optimize manufacturing processes is relatively low.

[6] This type of simulation allows to assess the system’s performance by statistically and probabilistically reproducing the interactions of all its components during a determined period of time.

[3] A framework to evaluate different manufacturing simulation tools was developed by Benedettini & Tjahjono (2009)[3] using the ISO 9241 definition of usability: “the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use.” This framework considered effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction as the three main performance criterion as follow: The following is a list of popular simulation techniques:[9] The following is a list of common applications of simulation in manufacturing:[9] rules, capacity, layout, analysis of bottlenecks, performance measurement inventory control