Simulation analysis of the complex production system with interoperation buffer stores

Abstract

The article highlights the problem of mathematical modelling and subsequent simulation of the highly complex synthetic environment illustrating the real production system consisting of parallel manufacturing plants equipped with interoperation buffer stores. The system can be arranged optionally by means of the simulator which was created on the basis of the presented assumptions in the C# programming language. The discussed system realizes orders set by defined customers. Production control is based on heuristic algorithms which choose an order to be realized and a manufacturing plant in which the production process is carried out. The criterion is to minimize the total time of realizing orders however, as seen in the case study, also either the remaining capacity of tools after realizing all orders or the total tool replacement time can be taken into account while dealing with the problem. The modelling and projecting stages are followed by the simulation study. This simulation study is realized for the specific list of orders. It all leads to the thorough analysis of the obtained results which are later compared with the results obtained for the system without interoperation buffer stores. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2013.