Perturbation Analysis to set the number of automated guided vehicles in a flexible manufacturing system

By using perturbation analysis on a simulation model of a flexible manufacturing system, this paper proposes a procedure to size this system in order to maximize its productivity. This procedure is based on the identification of the function between flowtime (i.e., the flowtime for each product is computed as the delay between its completion time and its arrival time) and the decision variable, here the number of automated vehicles in the system. A formal evaluation of the performance gradient in each point of the simulation model is then possible.