Simulation

Today continuous planning is a prerequisite for competitiveness. Methods are required, that allow the handling of complexity in rapidly changing and complex networks. Model based methods provide insight in these networks and therefore help realizing advantages in competition. The vision of a modeling plant for building the required models effectively and in an industrial scale and concepts for long term usage of models will make model-based methods attractive for the industry. The validation of planning results using a model will advance the quality of planning and thereby create advantages in competition.

In development projects, a delay in connection with budget overruns is often the consequence of unrealistic scheduling. A simulation based approach for modeling development projects has been developed to support the project planner and will be presented in this paper. This novel approach allows the modeling and simulation of the project-specific structural organization and the process organization as well as the typical non-deterministic project behavior. Therefore, a realistic scheduling and resource allocation of complex development projects can be achieved. The application of the approach in projects of our industrial partners in the chemical industry has shown the suitability of the developed tools.

A widely established tool for modeling, analysing, evaluating and optimizing in manufacturing planning is the discrete-event material flow simulation. Considerable benefits of using simulation show the necessity of increasingly applying simulation in the planning process. However, applying material flow simulation is also very costly. Results generated from simulation studies can be used for creating simulation-based characteristic diagrams. These diagrams allow the reduction of expenditures required for modeling and experimentation. Simulation-based characteristic diagrams can be used for efficiently solving frequent simulation problems. This paper introduces a methodology for reducing the expenditures required for creating simulation-based characteristic diagrams. The application of this methodology is demonstrated in an example.

This paper presents a simulation study that has been carried out at the Container Terminal Altenwerder in Hamburg in order to examine various topics related to the dispatching of automated guided vehicles (AGVs). After on overview of the structure of the simulation model, the application to the project is discussed. Several simulation experiments are summarized in order to demonstrate the broad applicability of the model.

This technical contribution presents a digital planning environment for an integrated facility layout and logistics planning. The aim is a noticeable reduction of time and effort for middle- and long-term facility planning and production planning. Therefore current data from the shop floor and order management are provided in an object-oriented consistent digital structure. This data is used to forecast the need for action and to deduct alternative solutions. Planning becomes more effective, long-term planning tasks become day-to-day activities so that the flexibility of the enterprise increases.

High dynamics and structural complexity in current and future logistic systems are complicating central planning and control. For enabling a more decentralised and autonomous control, communication between the elements of the logistical network are necessary for the provisioning of the information needed. This article details the modelling of the communication between the components. This modelling contains source and sink of the information as well as the amount of data, frequency of transmission, quality of service and the moment of transmission for a reasonable usage of the information. The technical feasibility with current and upcoming communication systems is evaluated under consideration of the model.

Production and logistics networks are characterized by an increasing dynamic and structural complexity, which makes an efficient planning more difficult. Observed non-linear dynamic effects, which in case of similar causes can lead to different results, contribute additionally to this problem. As a consequence strong inventory fluctuations can appear among others, which represent a strong economically load for network participants. The simulation-supported analysis of these connections is the main focus of this article. Moreover as a result of the analysis ways and means are pointed out, which will help to react more adequately to the given problems.

Logistic systems of automobile terminals are characterised these days by central planning and control processes, which do not allow fast and flexible adaptation of order processing to changing environmental influences caused by the dynamic and complexity in logistics. Process flows of cars on an automobile terminal such as delivery, storage and technical treatment are supported by a conventional, centralised logistic system. By establishing autonomous cooperating logistics processes, the automobiles will be enabled to act independently according to their own objectives and navigate through the logistics network themselves. This paper introduces first approaches of autonomous cooperation in the context of logistics and investigates potential applications in automobile logistics on the example of E. H. Harms Auto-Terminal-Hamburg GmbH & Co. KG.

Today’s industrial market is driven by a continuous demand of innovations. In order to improve product quality and to shorten manufacturing time, many companies are substituting old technologies and machines by new ones. However, an effective implementation of a new technology presumes the consideration of all logistic aspects related to it. Because each technology and each machine has different technical and logistic parameters, the implementation in an already existing process chain may require new methods for the logistic planning and control. In this paper the impact of a new technology on the logistic behaviour of the process chain is presented.

The application of automated material flow systems increases the flexibility in automated manufacturing. But there is a weak spot in the development of the control software. This article describes an engineering system for the graphical interactive development of material flow control systems. This system supports the development of the material flow systems including the generation and simulation of the control software and the simulation of the flow of material. The approach for the development of material flow systems and the functionality of the system are introduced using a case study that represents a class of automated material flow systems.