A simulation test bed for production and supply chain modeling

Production systems and supply chains are difficult to model at the level of detail required to understand factors affecting the behavior of material flow. This is particularly true when use of centralized planning systems, such as MRP or DRP, is of interest. Therefore a test bed, comprised of a planning module and a simulator module, has been developed. This test bed is designed to be simple, transparent and flexible. It supports research as well as training. The planning module uses a spreadsheet-based interface and logic embedded in extensive VBA macros. The simulator module is made up of a generic ARENA program that requires no direct modeling inputs when scenarios are changed. Dynamic communication between the modules is facilitated using VBA. Transient and steady state behavior can be observed under diverse conditions. Production systems or supply chains using MRP/DRP, reorder points, or Kanban systems can be compared.