Supply chain simulation modeling made easy: An innovative approach

Simulation modeling and analysis requires skills and scientific background to be implemented. This is vital for this powerful methodology to deliver value to the company adopting it. There are several practices to implement and rely on simulation modeling for strategic and operational decision making, including hiring simulation engineers, building internal simulation team, or contract consultants. These practices are different in terms of budget, time to implement, and returns. In this paper, an innovative approach is described that provide a simulation solution that is affordable at the same time can be quickly implemented, it consists of generic interface that captures the information and structure of the supply chain then automatically generates simulation models. The user, which not necessarily a simulation expert, can quickly jump to the analysis and evaluation of scenarios. The paper presents a case study where the approach was implemented to model, simulate, and analyze NASA´s Space Exploration Supply-Chain.