Simulation

Simulation is the process of creating a representation (a model) to represent important aspects of the real world. Just as flight simulators have long been used to help expose pilots and designers to both routine and unexpected circumstances, simulation models can help you explore the behaviour of your system under specified situations. Your simulation model can be used to explore changes and alternatives in a low risk environment.

Simulation has been successfully applied to many applications. Cost savings and/or cost avoidance in a typical simulation project are often 10 to 20 times the initial investment within four to six months of initial use.

Simio simulation software allows companies to test changes in a production line, supply chain or their general systems and processes, all without risk. When large-scale changes are being considered, simulation software can accurately predict the consequences of the change, so poor decisions are eliminated.

Scheduling

Scheduling is the process of arranging, controlling and optimising work and workloads in a production process or manufacturing process. Scheduling is used to allocate plant and machinery resources, plan human resources, plan production processes and purchase materials. Simio allows you to build a simulation model that fully captures both the detailed constraints and variations within your system. You can use the model in two different ways:

  1. The model you generate gives a detailed schedule and plan executed in a perfect environment (APS approach) where machines do not break, process times are always constant, and materials arrive on time.
  2. Then you can replicate the same simulation model, but this time with variation turned on. This allows you to perform a probabilistic analysis to estimate the underlying risks associated with the schedule. With this model, the risk measures generated include the probability of meeting your defined targets with as well as expected, pessimistic and optimistic results.

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