For Immediate Release posted on August 27, 2012
Sewickley, Pa. – 27 August 2012: Simio LLC invented a faster method of simulating a physical system such as a manufacturing plant by eliminating the need for computer programming. This lowers the cost of building models. Rapid modeling paves the way for wider use of simulation software to accurately represent the variation that exists in a real factory.
Using simulation modeling to generate a production schedule allows variability to be taken into account. According to Dr. Dennis Pegden, Simio CEO and inventor “the role that variation plays in creating congestion and delays in manufacturing is well documented in the literature, but is typically ignored in the day-to-day planning and scheduling of production.” Pegden says “Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) tools generate schedules that completely ignore the variation in the system.”
Figure 1: Production Scheduling Gantt Displays Probability of Achieving Due Dates with New Risk-based Planning & Scheduling (RPS) by Simio
Traditionally, production scheduling systems cannot account for the variation that inherently exists in most manufacturing environments. It must assume that all processing and lead times are fixed and predictable. They ignore the fact that there are day-to-day disruptions on the factory floor (e.g., equipment breaks down, employees call-in sick, raw materials arrive late and/or are defective). These risks need to be taken into account in the generation of a good production schedule. Without taking these risks into account upfront, the production schedule continuously needs to be changed to reflect every disruption that happens or the schedule will be become inaccurate.
Manufacturers have made strides to capture this variability using historians and OEE calculations. They often have a historical view of how their systems perform that demonstrates the inconsistency and variability. The data are available. “There just needs to be a practical way to factor this variability in the production schedule” states Pegden.
Now with Simio’s patented rapid modeling capability, the manufacturer can afford to factor in variation and uncertainty to generate a good production schedule in minutes. The result is forward looking, detail knowledge of the probability (see Figure 1), risk and cost of meeting customer order targets.
Risk-based Planning and Scheduling (RPS) by Simio is the latest advancement in production scheduling software.
Simio’s invention is object-oriented simulation software that comprises one or more base objects and one or more graphical processes, wherein new objects are created from base objects by a user by assigning one or more graphical processes to the base object(s). New objects are created without the need for methods or computer programming. A model is built fast by creating objects that represent the physical components of the system being modeled into the model, and then running the model.
About Simio LLC
Simio LLC is a private company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is dedicated to delivering leading edge solutions for the design, emulation, and scheduling of complex systems.