A survey of varied production systems and different aspects using computer simulation

The author presents different problems associated with conducting simulation projects of a wide range of production systems. He provides some insight into the variety of initial conditions and illustrates different situations for the modeler. It is pointed out that historically grown systems, e.g., in the metal industry with a very low level of automation and poorly controlled material flow, are very difficult to analyze and to develop the functional specification for. The author points out unpredictable benefits for the production engineer during the simulation process. AGV (automatic guided vehicle) modeling in the automotive industry and a flexible manufacturing system are among the examples considered. All finished projects described used SIMAN/CINEMA for model development