13
Simulation of
Manufacturing and Material
Handling Systems
Manufacturing and material handling systems provide one of the most impor-
tant applications of simulation. Simulation has been used successfully as an aid
in the design of new production facilities, warehouses, and distribution centers.
It has also been used to evaluate suggested improvements to existing systems.
Engineers and analysts using simulation have found it valuable for evaluating
the impact of capital investments in equipment and physical facility, and of pro-
posed changes to material handling and layout. They have also found it useful
to evaluate staffing and operating rules, and proposed rules and algorithms
to be incorporated into warehouse management control software and produc-
tion control systems. Managers have found simulation useful in provid ing a
" test drive" before making capital investments, without disrupting the existing
system with untried changes.
Section 13.1 provides an introduction and discusses some of the features
of simulation models of manufacturing and material handling systems. Section
13.2 discusses the goals of manufacturing simulation and the m ost common
measures of system performance. Section 13.3 discusses a number of the issues
common to many manufacturing and material handling simulations, including
the treatment of downtimes and failure, and trace-driven simulations using
actual historical data or historical order files. Section 13.4 provides a number
of short case studies, with references for additional reading. For an overview
of simulation software for manufacturing and material handling applications,
see Section 4.7.
13.1 Manufacturing and Material Handling Simulations
As do all modeling projects, manufacturing and material handling sim ulation
projects need to address the issues of scope and level of detail. Consider scope
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as analogous to bre~dth and leve~ of detail as analogous to depth. Scope deter-
mines the boundanes of the proJect, what's in the model and what's not. For
a subsystem, process, machine, or other component, the project scope deter-
mines whether the object is in the model or not. Given that a component or
subsystem is part of a model, it often can be simulated at many different levels
of detail.
The proper scope and level of detail should be determined by the objec-
tives of the study and the questions being asked. On the other hand, level of
detail may be constrained by the availability of input data and the knowledge of
how system components work. For new nonexistent systems, data availability
may be limited and system knowledge may be based on assumptions.
While some guidelines can be provided, the judgment of experienced
simulation analysts, working with the customer to determine early in the project
the questions the model is being designed to address, provide the basis for
selecting a proper scope and level of detail.
Should the model simulate each conveyor section or vehicle movement,
or can some be replaced by a simple time delay? Should the model simulate
auxiliary parts, or the handling of purchased parts, or can the model assume that
such parts are always available at the right location when needed for assembly?
At what level of detail does the control system need to be simulated?
Many modern manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, baggage handling
systems, and other material handling systems are computer controlled by a
management control software system. The algorithms built into such control
software play a key role in system performance. Simulation is often used to
evaluate and compare the effectiveness of competing control schemes and to
evaluate suggested improvements. It can be used to debug and fine-tune the
logic of a control system before it is installed.
These questions are representative of the issues that need to be addressed
when deciding the correct level of model detail and scope of a project. In turn,
the scope and level of model detail determine the type of questions that can be
addressed by the model. In addition, models can be developed in an iterative
fashion, adding detail for peripheral operations at later stages if such operations
are later judged to significantly impact the main operation. It is good advice to
start as simple as possible, adding detail only as needed.
13.J.J Models of Manufacturing Systems
Models of manufacturing systems may have to take into account a number of
characteristics of such systems, some of which are:
Physical layout
Labor
Shift schedules
Job duties and certification
ct ring and Material Handling Systems
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Simulation of Manu a u
504 Chap. 13
Equipment
Rates and capacities
Breakdowns
Time to failure
Time to repair
Resources needed for repair
Maintenance
PM schedule
Time and resources required
Tooling and fixtures
Workcenters
Processing
Assembly
Disassembly
Product
Product flow, routing, and resources needed
Bill of materials
Production schedules
Made-to-stock
Made-to-order
Customer orders
Line items and quantities
Production control
Assignment of jobs to work areas
Task selection at workcenters
Routing decisions
Supplies
Ordering
Receipt and storage
Delivery to workcenters
Storage
Supplies
Spare parts
Work-in-process (WIP)
Finished goods
Packing and shipping
Order consblidation
Paperwork
Loading trailers
Sec. 13.1 Manufacturing and Material Handling Simulations 505
JJ.1.2 Models of Material Handling
In manufacturing systems, it is not unusual for 80% to 85% of an item's total
time in system to be expended in material handling or waiting for material
handling to occur. This work-in-process (WIP) represents a vast investment,
and reductions in WIP and associated delays can result in large cost savings.
Therefore, for some studies, detailed material handling simulations are cost
effective.
In some production lines, the material handling system is an essential com-
ponent. For example, automotive paint shops typically consist of a power-and-
free conveyor system that transports automobile bodies or body parts through
the paint booths.
In warehouses, distribution centers, flow-through and cross-docking op-
erations, material handling is clearly a key component of any material-flow
model. Manual warehouses typically use manual fork trucks to move pallets
from receiving dock to storage and storage to shipping dock. More automated
distribution centers may use extensive conveyor systems to support putaway,
order picking, order sortation, and consolidation.
Models of material handling systems may have to contain some of the
following types of subsystems:
Conveyors
Accumulating
Nonaccumulating
Indexing and other special purpose
Fixed window or random spacing
Power and free
Transporters
Unconstrained vehicles (e.g., manually guided fork trucks)
Guided vehicles (automated or operator controlled, wire-guided,
chemical paths, rail-guided)
Bridge cranes and other overhead lifts
Storage systems
Pallet storage
Case storage
Small part storage (totes)
Oversize items
Rack storage or block stacked
Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) with
storage-retrieval machines (SRM)