A macro/micro modeling approach to the simulation of cellular manufacturing systems

A bi-level modeling approach to the simulation of cellular manufacturing systems is described. At the plant level, a `macromodel´ simulates the overall production system, modeling the production inventory control system as well as the manufacture of batches of parts and their assembly into end product items. At the manufacturing cell level, a `micromodel´ simulates the processing of batches of parts one-at-a-time over the individual machines in the cell. The micromodel can be animated to graphically depict the behavior of the cell. Although model development in two languages (SLAM-II and SIMAN) is reported, modeling could actually involve a single language or an assortment of languages