Tradeoffs in building a generic supply chain simulation capability

Building a simulation model for any large complex system requires high expertise and effort. These requirements can be reduced through building generic simulation capability that includes artifacts for facilitating the development of the simulation model. The artifacts can have a range of capabilities depending on the design goals for the simulation. This paper focuses on issues to be considered in building a generic simulation capability for supply chains. A number of approaches used in recent years for building generic supply chain simulation capability are discussed. Such approaches include data-driven simulators, interactive simulators, and sub-models for supply chain components. Tradeoffs are identified that should be considered in selecting an approach for building a generic supply chain simulation capability.