Search the Community

When does a resource change capacity when this is requested through a schedule or through an assignment of the CurrentCapacity? When studying the behavior, we deduced the following, but want to check that it is correct (the documentation did not give much information): 1. When the resource is busy (say, fully occupied with a capacity of 5), and the capacity is decreased to 1 or more, all entities that are in process finish their work as scheduled. The effective change apparently takes place after busy entities are finished. (in Arena, this was either the IGNORE or the WAIT behavior). 2. When the resource is busy (say, fully occupied with a capacity of 5), and the capacity is decreased to 0, it immediately stops processing the current entities, which will stay in the Processing queue. When capacity is increased again to 5, the entities are finished. (in Arena, this was the PREEMPT behavior). 3. When the resource is busy (say, fully occupied with a capacity of 5), and the capacity is decreased to 0, it immediately stops processing the current entities. When capacity is increased again to, e.g., 1, all entities seem to finish at the same time. This is strange, because one would expect the entities to be finished one-by-one. This could be considered a bug? Finally, is it possible to implement IGNORE (schedule change starts late if entity busy, but next schedule change remains unchanged), WAIT (schedule change starts late if entity busy, and next schedule change is shifted accordingly) and PREEMPT (schedule change starts immediately) behaviors in Simio? -- Alexander Verbraeck, TU Delft, Netherlands

Leaving it as is should work for your purposes?

Is there a way to create a column of Time property without date using Simio Table, just like the start time and end time of day pattern of the work schedules? The work schedule doesn't suit my needs.

greetings everyone, Currently I am working on a simulation for my research and I am considering different staff schedules I would like to be able to have overlapping schedules for my workers and would like to be able to change the number of workers working in different time periods. for example, I would like to add 2 extra workers in busy period. is there a built in Simio feature that can help. Thank you very much

Double check that each Resource is hooked to the correct Work Schedule, and that you have the intended Day Pattern inputs for Mon - Sun in your Work Schedule(s). It sounds like you might need a separate (two total) Work Schedule for each group of 5 Resources. I would also recommend visually verifying that the Resources go OffShift (turn white) at the intended times. Other than that just make sure that the Off Shift Rule, in the Server's Secondary Resources, is also set to 'Suspend Processing'. Another way to check that the Server has suspended processing is to put some Dynamic Label Text on the Entity like 'ModelEntity.ID' so you can see exactly which Entity is in the Processing.Contents queue of the Server before and after the shift change. It should be the same one! Happy modeling!

Hello, I have selected Suspend Processing in the Off Shift Rule portion of my server modules but when I use a Status Label to indicate the Resource.Capacity.Utilized / Resource.Capacity, it appears as though the resources are not going off shift until after processing the entity in the server calling on the secondary resource. What else do I need to do? I'd like for the Resource to go off shift (and not finish the process) according to the Work Schedule assigned to it and then pick back up the processing of the entity when it gets back on shift. I've looked into several other posts but they seem to be outdated. Thanks!

About the job Position: Industrial Simulation Services, Simulation Developer Location: Kitchener, Ontario Experience: 3-5 Years of relevant work experience Division: OTTO Motors Area of Study: Industrial/ Mechanical/ Mechatronics/ Systems Engineering NOTE: Must be able to travel to the U.S at time of application. About Clearpath Robotics Inc. Clearpath Robotics Inc. develops the future of robotics technology through development and sale of industry-leading self-driving technology, products, and services to over 500 of the world’s most innovative brands. Proprietary hardware, software, and services are delivered through the company’s research and industrial divisions: Clearpath Robotics and OTTO™ Motors. Clearpath Robotics Inc. is an award-winning company with recent awards including Robotics Business Review Top 50 Robotics Company, Edison Award for Innovation, Business Insider Top 40 under 40, and Canada’s Top 100 Employers. About Clearpath Robotics Research Solutions Clearpath Robotics’ research solutions group is a global leader in unmanned vehicle robotics for research and development, and provides hardware, software, and services to enable self-driving vehicle development, deployment, and operation. Clearpath Robotics works with over 500 of the world’s most innovative brands in over 40 countries, serving markets that span mining, military, agriculture, aerospace, and academia. Visit Clearpath Robotics atwww.clearpathrobotics.com. About OTTO™ Motors OTTO™ Motors is making material handling in industrial settings safer, easier, and more efficient through development of hardware and software that automates movement of goods in busy factories and warehouses. The company’s industry-leading self driving technology provides automated and on-demand material handling in the most demanding industrial environments, spanning automotive, medical device, aerospace, logistics, and more. Customers trusting their mission-critical material handling needs to OTTO Motors include Fortune 100 brands GE, Toyota, and Caterpillar. For more information visitwww.ottomotors.com. About the Job Having 10’s of robots run around our offices is great, but having hundreds of robots running around inside our computers is even better. Rich simulation environments offer a wide range of benefits to many aspects of our business: fast research, development and validation, sharp marketing tools and strong customer experience / support. We're looking for a Simulation Developer to create and run simulations that will help us optimize our robot fleets and system solutions. As a part of the Industrial Simulation Services (ISS) team, you will act as a subject matter expert and lead modeling and simulation activities. The ISS team works closely with our Systems Engineering, Applications Engineering and Project Management team, to support overall solution design from initial concept all the way to full system design and deployment. You will be building material flow strategies (based on self-driving vehicles) for products already in our arsenal and ones that do not yet exist. Your goal is to develop accurate and robust simulations to evaluate design, lower risk, and enhance the elegance of our solutions to fuel our growth. Primary Responsibilities Creating discrete event simulations for real and hypothetical systems, estimating fleet sizes, identifying traffic bottlenecks, testing what-if scenarios to optimize performance of robot fleets Consulting with project leads, sales team members and customers to obtain understanding of the requirements and to collect the necessary inputs Advising on simulation based metrics to evaluate system risks and performance Analyzing results and making recommendations for facility and material flow design Presenting your simulation results to our team of engineers, our sales team, and to clients Validating models against real world data to maintain accuracy relative to product portfolio Growing and improving our simulation library and internal templates for functionality, accuracy, scalability and efficiency Drafting functional specifications, proposals and effort estimation Recommending product feature and improvement ideas to our Product and Engineering teams, that lead to greater system optimization in the real world Additional tasks may include: Interacting with our development team as necessary to assess impact of new feature or product Developing simulation models to assist Sales & Marketing in demonstrating Clearpath's products and capabilities Using your expertise to assist our engineering services group in developing the more complex system concepts About You You're excited about the role that robots will play in the future, and intrigued by the challenge of joining a young company in this high-growth market. You have skills and experience that you know can make a difference with the Clearpath team, whether we're looking for them or not. You are driven and view work as more than just a job. You are motivated by making an impact on your workplace and you thrive on challenging and rewarding problems. Most of all, you want to be on the right side during the coming robot revolution. The ideal candidate will have: Proven success using simulation solutions to evaluate feasibility of facility design or operational changes Experience with discrete event simulation tools like Simio, AutoMod, AnyLogic, FlexSim, Delmia, and understanding of its limitations Experience collaborating with cross-functional and external client teams to gather comprehensive data required for model development and/or analysis Fearless in questioning to ensure end users get the most value out of your work. You understand the importance of early goal alignment and scope definition Effectively communicate complex model functionality to the client or internal team for assurance of model results accuracy Customer-first mindset Avid self-learner Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and manage deadlines. Able to cope with sudden jarring changes in projects, priorities, and the local gravity field. Bonus Points for: Experience identifying traffic and material flow bottlenecks and mitigating risk Experience in manufacturing industry Understanding of different industry warehouses. You see block diagrams and flowcharts everywhere and speak the language. Experience with Object-Oriented programming Working knowledge of one or more of C#, Python, VB.NET Exposure to working with ROS, Gazebo Past participation in simulation challenges What’s in it for you: Flexible Hours, Health Benefits, Parental Leave, Vacation, Equity, Community Days (paid), Half-Day Birthdays, Passionate and Dedicated Teams Curious to know more about the culture at Clearpath & OTTO, check out: https://clearpathrobotics.com/blog/category/blog/culture/ Come join us if you feel like our values resonate with you, and if you are interested in being a part of making industrial workplaces safer and revolutionizing automation. At Clearpath, we are committed to building and supporting a culture of diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. We hire the best talent regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, age, veteran status, six, sixual orientation, gender identity, and expression. If you require special accommodation to complete any portion of the application or interview process, please contact 1-800-301-3863.

Additional Information: In the work schedule only some of the resources are going off shift while some are staying on (in this case there are 10 resources scheduled for the shift but 5 take the first lunch break from 1130-1200 while the other 5 resources take a lunch from 1200-1230). How can I suspend processing just for the partial amount of the objects in the shift that own the 5 resources that are "taking lunch"?

Dear Forum, I am trying to build reality into my model. I have 3 shifts (1st, 2nd, 3rd). 1st Shift works form 7AM-3PM, 2nd Shift works from 3PM to 11PM, then 3rd shift works from 11PM to 7AM of the following day. So, I tried to put in Day Patterns in my schedules and on my 3rd shift, it resulted in an error "Duration must not result in a Work Period that spans multiple days." Is there a way to model these 3 shifts as they actually exist in the factory or do I need to change the time frames to "dummy" time frames so that do not span over a 24 hour period? Thanks, Bill Industrial Enginer

I want to be able to schedule events for the future without having to define a separate timer for each possible time this will happen. Ideally i'd like to be able to index into a vector of timers to start one, so it can be dependent on a state variable. One use of these would be recurring tasks, for instance, while a patient is in post-surgery, they will be administered medicine every r hours. This is dependent on them exiting surgery (it doesn't begin at a specific time), so a rate table doesn't really work, and that would run into a similar problem of having to define different rate tables for each patient type and recurring tasks (potentially hundreds). Any ideas?

Hi there I am trying to import an entity into a new model and use it. I built before in a previous project... please advise. Thanks Ali

Senior Industrial Engineer - Simulation Req #: 67308BR York, Pennsylvania, United States Engineering & Technology Platforms & Services Posted on:03/29/2021 Job Summary Career Level Experienced Travel Percentage 10% Full-Time / Part-Time Full-Time Clearance Level - Must Currently Possess None Shift 1st Shift Relocation Available Yes ITAR: U.S Citizen or Green Card Required Yes Clearance Level - Must Be Able to Obtain None Job Description What motivates you? If the answer is a position where you can develop your skills and earn opportunities for advancement while being part of a forward looking team then this is what awaits you in a career at BAE Systems. Our employees work on the world’s most advanced combat vehicle systems. From the M109A7 Mobile Howitzer with its long range firepower to the Amphibious Combat Vehicle that transports America’s Marines from ship to shore, we are developing the technology of tomorrow while delivering the most cutting-edge equipment available today. Our flexible work environment provides every opportunity to positively impact the company without giving up your personal life and we welcome all those who understand the importance of improving production velocity, having big ideas, and craving innovation. We draw strength from our diversity and always put our customers first through an unwavering commitment to bring the warfighter home safe. Does this sound like a team you want to be a part of? If so, come build your career with BAE Systems. The Combat Vehicles line of business within the Platforms & Services (P&S) Sector of BAE Systems is looking for a self-motivated Senior Industrial Engineer to support the production scheduling of armored military vehicles. Working as a team member of a larger Industrial Engineering Group, this Engineer will be required to build and maintain simulations for varied fabrication, assembly, and testing processes. The candidate must also be comfortable with soliciting input through face to face interaction and, in general, must demonstrate that they possess strong analytical, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills that will support individual and team growth. A strong background in discrete event simulation, specifically with the use of SIMIO, is necessary. Specific responsibilities include: Day-to-Day · Complete simulation support activities such as time studies, production line balancing and production metric development · Evaluate complex Technical Data Packages (Drawings, Bills of Material) and be able to understand how a component or vehicle is assembled · Utilize a strong understanding of integration activities like implementation of standard work, material kitting, metric tracking, and process improvement to advance manufacturing methods. · Work on the manufacturing floor with other Engineering disciplines, production supervisors, and employees that directly interact with the components or vehicles being produced. Internal and External Customer Relationships · Engage in regular communications with production support, planning, logistics, quality, manufacturing supervisors, and direct labor workforce to assess operations performance. · Summarize and present findings to internal customers to gain buy-in for improvement efforts · Discuss the status of metrics and key performance indicators with appropriate decision makers Development · Work with Industrial Engineering leadership to understand the expectations of new Engineer within the organization and company · Share responsibility of self-development with immediate supervisor · Maintain a safe work environment and ensure compliance with safety objectives and policies. Required Education, Experience, & Skills - 4+ years of simulation experience within SIMIO - BS degree from an accredited university Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills Demonstrated capability with the use and application of SIMIO discrete event simulation software. About BAE Systems Platforms & Services BAE Systems, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems plc, an international defense, aerospace and security company which delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. Improving the future and protecting lives is an ambitious mission, but it’s what we do at BAE Systems. Working here means using your passion and ingenuity where it counts – defending national security with breakthrough technology, superior products, and intelligence solutions. As you develop the latest technology and defend national security, you will continually hone your skills on a team—making a big impact on a global scale. At BAE Systems, you’ll find a rewarding career that truly makes a difference. The Platforms & Services (P&S) sector under BAE Systems, Inc does the big stuff: the armored combat vehicles, naval guns, missile launchers, and naval ship repair…just to name a few. Our employees take pride in the work they do and why they do it. They are on the front lines every day, building our products to protect the lives of those who serve. We may be biased, but we think P&S does some of the coolest work around, and we think you will too. At BAE Systems, we celebrate the array of skills, experiences, and perspectives our employees bring to the table. For us, differences are a source of strength. We’re laser-focused on high performance, and we work hard every day to nurture an inclusive culture where all employees can innovate and thrive. Here, you will not only build your career, but you will also enjoy work-life balance, uncover new experiences, and collaborate with passionate colleagues. https://jobs.baesystems.com/global/en/job/67308BR/Senior-Industrial-Engineer-Simulation Thanks, Jenny Ridings, PHR Principal Talent Acquisition Specialist BAE Systems My pronouns are she / her M: +1 904 570 2489 | E: jenny.ridings@baesystems.com https://jobs.baesystems.com Connect with BAE Systems: Join our talent community!

Hi jord41, Simio loads the bound tables once during the initialization in the Simio tables. Data access requires a lot of computing time. (More for writing as reading). I see that you only have 1 column of integer values. My recommendation is that you do not import the table into a Simio table. It's best to create an integer or real state of type vector. Then you use e.g. the Read-Step or the ExcelRead-Step. In conjunction with a timer or the sample example loop of GFurtado you can load the data at intervals. I think that this could be a solution. At least that's how I would do it if I had to work with real-time data. Normally, such real-time data is written to a SQL database by a PLC or something like that. Then you can use the SQL steps anytime in Simio. Best regards Pascal

Hello, a Server block has a property named "Off Shift Rule" This is normally set to "Suspend Processing", i.e. the server signs off at the end of the shift and abandons all the waiting work. If you want to finish the waiting work, choose the other option, "Finish Work Already Started" I suppose that's what you want.

[EDIT] Hi all, I am modeling a restaurant, where orders are placed until 22:00. The preparation of these orders takes approximately 20 minutes (it can be more or less due to the probability distributions involved). I have some workers whose schedules are from 10:00 to 22:30 and they prepare these orders. The problem is the following. Suppose that it's 22:30 and there are still some orders in the queue. Since the worker's schedule ends now, those orders can't be processed and will remain for the next day. This obviously does not happen in a real-life restaurant. So if at the end of the worker schedule (22:30) there are some orders in queue, I would like to extend the schedule until all orders are met. The problem is I don't know how long it will take the workers to prepare the missing orders, so I can't suppose a certain time needed to complete the orders. I have to wait that the last order is prepared to set the end of the working day. How can this be done? Thank you in advance, Marcel Favereau

I have a source, called forklift source, that has a varying interarrival time based on the time of day. To do this, I created a time indexed table with the different interarrival times in different rows and the interval period set to one hour. This source also depends on the interarrival time of another source called Newtrucksource, but not on an hourly basis. I am trying to conduct an experiment where the interarrival time of newtrucksource changes with different experiments and a different time indexed interarrival table for source 1 is used for each of these different interarrival times. To do this, I created a real property for newtrucksource's interarrival time and a table property for forkliftsource's time indexed interarrival table. However, I can't get this to work because in the model, the interarrival time property for the forkliftsource must be a "number" and I am referencing a table which comes up as using "string". Trying to find a way to make this work.

Simio offers user-defined work schedules in the Data tab. The SimBit ServerFollowsCapacitySchedule or others related to work schedules could be helpful. You can define a Pattern Based Work Schedule, to account for the shifts you described, and modify Server Properties like OffShiftRule (under Secondary Resources) to 'Finish Work Already Started' or 'Suspend Processing' depending on what makes sense for your Model. Adam 

Hello, I am new to Simio, and I am still trying to figure out which Simio product will be most valuable in my case. I have some specific questions: I would like to confirm the following: If I build a simulation model in Simio Simulation Software, can I import it into Simio Scheduling Software and build on it? When you say that Simio Scheduling Software allows performing risk analysis in real time, do you mean that: You can actually connect the software to sensors where the software automatically performs the analysis based on real-time data? OR you manually import data and you run the simulation model to update the results? This question overlaps with my second question, but it will help me better understand. When you talk about the Simio Digital Twin, are you referring to the Simio Scheduling Software? Their functionalities look similar except for the clearly mentioned physical connectivity to real-time data in case of Simio Digital Twin which is not directly implied in case of the scheduling software. At this stage, Simio Simulation Software fulfills my current needs. However, I would like to leave the door open for building a digital twin after achieving my current objectives. I would greatly appreciate your input on this. Thank you for giving me the chance to join your community! Cheers, Fatima Alsakka

Hi! I have been using SIMIO for quite some time now, but I have barely come across this need. I need to record the time spent per entity at any given path/server in the simulation, rather than obtaining the average time for all entities at the end of the simulation. Take the image below as an example. I need to record the time spent in the link (TimeOnLink) per entity generated. The path corresponds to that connecting the source to servers 2-7. Then, I need to record the time spent per entity on servers 2-7 (TimeInStation). I can display the unique ID number for each entity by Entity.ID, now I need to match the statistics. I figure the best way to model is trough ExcelWrite, but I can't manage to make it work. Any hints? The plan is to get the following information per entity, rather than a summary of all entities.

To model shelves, I am trying to create a series of custom "Shelf" objects (subclass of servers) located in a grid pattern. I used a spreadsheet to automatically calculate the coordinate locations and generate a name (string) for each object based on its position within the grid. With just the Shelf object types in the spreadsheet, can bind the file to my object reference table no problem, import the data, and populate the facility window with my objects. That part works fine! Next, since I have an aisle running between the rows of objects, I wanted to set it up so that the objects all face "inwards", ie. the input and output nodes for the objects are facing the aisle. Originally I thought of rotating the Shelf object, but I ran into 2 issues: first, I discovered that I can't set the Shelf yaw orientation from the table, so that's not going to work. Second, I realized that even when I rotate the Shelf in the facility window, the nodes do not rotate with their parent object. I decided I would leave the Shelf in the same orientation as it is placed, but I would just re-locate the input/output nodes to the opposite edge of the Shelf objects on the far side of the aisle. For this I would need to make sure I can set locations for the input/output nodes in the same object reference table. When I added a row to the object reference table from within Simio (prior to binding to a spreadsheet), a drop down appeared, and I could select the input or output nodes for any object that already existed in the table, and then define the node's location in the cartesian coordinate columns. When creating a node this way, the node location is still relative to the object, ie. I can drag the object in the facility window and the node moves relative to the object, which is perfect. This input/output node creation and relative location definition via table is exactly what I am trying to automate, but this is where I started running into problems. In my spreadsheet I used formulas to generate names for the nodes to match the formatting of the input and output nodes in Simio (ex. "Input@..."/"Output@..."). I also added a formula to assign all input node object types to BasicNodes and all output nodes to TransferNodes and calculate the desired location coordinates for the nodes. The spreadsheet I made has the same format as the table in Simio where I tested manually creating and positioning the nodes. The issue is that when I bind the table and import the spreadsheet data to my model, the node names automatically change and are no longer formatted to reference the parent object. Because of this, these name-changed node objects are created in addition to the input and output nodes that are created for each Shelf object. However, if I remove the binding and add a new row, once again I can find the node name in the drop down list and assign the coordinates manually, and the input/output node that references the parent object will move to where I send it. My question is: how can I set the input/output node locations for the objects when creating objects from a table? There are over 500 Shelf objects in the table so I do not want to locate them manually, but the automated method is not working either. The only idea that I have is to make a new object "Shelf2" and define the external view to have the nodes on the opposite side, but that seems like a less-than-idea solution because then I would have 2 custom objects to update and maintain, that are otherwise identical. I am hoping that I don't have to do this hacky solution but I am interested to see if anyone else has dealt with this and has ideas. Thanks!

Hi Gocken, Sorry for delayed reply. This is very interesting! I have been wondering how a search might work. Thank you so much for kindly taking the time to follow up with this answer. It is very helpful! I am particularly interested in the ability to search the entire population. Thank You! Beat Regards, Jim

Hi All, In examining a medical system, we have a requirement to log snapshots of the patient details being processed at specific points in time during experiment replications. For each server, we would like to know the state values for entities currently in processing in each functional area ( a mix of servers and storage queues). I suppose I am looking for an "Easy Button" which would quickly capture a Work In Process snapshot of the system. Are there any thoughts on accomplishing something like this? Any kind comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jim

Thank you very much, Jeff. So you are saying that I should make up many different schedules in the schedule table first, then running experiments, I can choose different ones to test, right? That helps and definitely would work for me. But it's more manual, not like in OptQuest, I can just set lower bound and upper bound to kinda automatically run the experiments... Do you know any ways to do that? Even there's not, your method is still great for me! Thank you again!

Hi Everyone, I have 100s of different products in a warehouse and I want to get statistics for all of them such as distance travelled, number entered and exited. So I created the entity instances for each product automatically through data table. The entity.totaldistancetraveled function doesnt increase since the entity doesnt moveby itself but moved by forklift instead. So I have created a state variable called "distanceonforklift" and increased by the difference between the forklift total distance travelled value when entity exits and enters to forklift. I have also created a function called "distancefunction" on the entity and equated it to "distanceonforklift" state variable of the entity. For the return type of function I have chosen "number" and set the unit to "length". I validated that both distance state variable and function is calculated correctly in the facility window. However I cannot output the result of this state variable on the model results screen. I used the following expression under model outputstatistic but it didnt work. "ProductA.DistanceFunction". That expression gives me 0 value although there are some entities of this product which enters and exits the system. How can I see the average total distance travelled on forklift for the whole population of Product A?