Job shop type production scheduling by simulation

摘要

The primary purpose of this paper is to introduce the audience to a concept that is not always appreciated by those skilled in the art of simulation. In contrast to the traditional use of simulation as a study tool, the following discussion will emphasize the potential role of simulation for operational production scheduling in job shop-like environments rather than the research-oriented role now primarily assigned to it.

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Simulation techniques have been employed to study nearly all phases of the manufacturing process including forecasting, long-range planning, order release, and the flow of jobs on the production floor. This paper discusses production floor scheduling of discrete production facilities with job shop characteristics. A job shop is defined as having the following characteristics: 1)there is a set of production or service facilities; 2) jobs consisting of several tasks move between facilities for service; 3) one or more tasks are performed at each facility; 4) the service time for tasks may vary from job to job; and 5) the routing between facilities may vary from job to job.