Process Flow Simulation

Process Flow Simulation enables you to study the dynamic behavior of the production system and its logistics. You can also evaluate your system's performance.

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Process Flow Simulation enables you to:

  • Simulate discrete events
  • Analyze complex production system with uncertainty and time variability.

The easy-to-use interface defines the model of the production system that includes:

  • Systems for processing, storage, and transferring their operations using the pre-defined process plan.
  • The arrival of raw material into the systems and the dispatching of the products from the production systems.
  • The flow of products through the systems.
  • The uncertainty and the variability that exists in real system.
  • Statistical distribution for parameters, for example: operation time.

You can:

  • Simulate the system over multiple cycles using discrete event simulation to evaluate the performance of the system. The results of the simulation provide outputs with which you can estimate the production capacity of the system, its utilization, and the inventory levels. You can run multiple simulations with different random number streams to study the effect of uncertainty and variability.
  • Simulate what-if scenarios to evaluate alternative routing and system designs.
  • The scenarios and the simulation results can be saved for future reference and analysis.
  • Monitor the state of the systems during the simulation with the help of dynamically updating charts. This helps you to understand the dynamic behavior of the systems.
  • Review the defined systems, operations model and the product flow with the help of animation to understand the defined model.

When you are in Process Flow Simulation, you can work with your content in one of two contexts:

In the PPR context:

  • Define the system structure of:
    • general systems, transfer systems, and their operations
    • source, sink, and buffer systems, and their operations
    • system operation time, and time distribution
    • random number stream for time distribution
    • product flow between systems, and the flow behavior
    • repair operation and behavior
    • data flow between operations within a system and across systems.
  • Review the system, its operations, and the assigned or materialized animated flow of products.
  • Simulate system operation and product flow over multiple cycles.
  • Define and track simulation objectives.
  • View and monitor the system states during simulation of:
    • product animation on systems
    • system states, simulation traces, and future events.
  • View the simulation results in charts and tables.

In the simulation context:
  • Define multiple simulation scenarios for a system, modify systems, operations, and the flow properties.
  • Simulate the defined scenarios, both in animation and batch modes.
  • Store and view results of all the simulation scenarios.
  • Execute the multiple replications or runs and view results.