Solving logistics and transportation problems in a job shop

A discrete event simulation model was developed to study the flow of material and product in a shop floor. It uses real time data available from a job shop sole dedicated to noncommercial contracts and as such deals with very seasonal demand. The objective of this model is to provide the shop with a decision support tool that will assist in evaluating the movement of products throughout the shop. The simulation will be useful in assessing the length of queues formed at each shop as well as in pointing out bottlenecks. Actual operational and flow data are utilized in developing the model. The simulation is implemented using the Arena software (Kelton 1997). In effect, the model is to be used for a better understanding of operation of the shop floor and better utilization of all the available resources.