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Dynamic Server Capacity Management


ajaykrishna18
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Hi,

I made a simple warehouse-retailer model with a source(warehouse), two servers(retailers), and a sink, where the entities(products) are carried from the source to the servers using a single vehicle. The current capacities(demand value at the retailer) of the servers changes after a specific time interval(12-hours and simulation run time of100 days). The Input and Output buffer capacities of both the servers are set to zero. The vehicle leaving the source (Home node) returns back only after serving the respective current capacities of the servers one after the other. As each entity enters the server, its capacity is reduced by 1 unit ultimately reaching zero-current capacity when the full capacity is served.

The problem I encounter is that sometimes after my vehicle leaves the source, the current capacity value of the server changes and the new value might be smaller than the previous current capacity value. So my vehicle stays at the input node of the server with the extra entities carried until a new current capacity value is assigned, instead of moving to the next server with whatever entities are left in the vehicle. I don't intend to change the vehicle speed or time interval for capacity changes to rectify this issue.

For example, the current capacity values of the servers at time period 1 are

Server 1 = 10 & Server 2 = 12. So the vehicle carries 10+12=22 entities from the source to the server 1. Now while the vehicle is moving towards Server 1, if the current capacity changes to

Server 1 = 8 & Server 2 = 12, the vehicle stays at server 1 after serving the 8 units and the remaining 14 units stays within the vehicle instead of moving to the next server to serve its capacity.

Screenshot of the model is attached.

Could anyone help me with this issue? I would really appreciate your support as I have been trying to fix this issue for a while.

Model_Screenshot.PNG

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I think 2 more entities (at ridestation of vehicle) for server 1 forces vehicle to wait at server 1. Because they have nowhere to go or wait ? Increasing the capacities of inputbuffers of both servers should solve this problem? if this option is not possible for your problem setting then you have to know how many entities to send from source to servers exactly? or think about many other solutions... 

Edited by gocken
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So I see what you are trying to achieve, and your approach can be moddelled yet you will need to really know what you are doing if you want to start transferring entities in and out of queue's, as well as adjusting capacity of vehicles to circumvent default routing logic.

Alternatively, I would set the Retailer capacities back to one and treat an entity as a shipment from the warehouse to a retailer. I would also look at add a material element to the transporter and each server and utilize Simio's produce and consume functionality to drive variation in supply and demand.

This will allow you to utilize the base functionality of the transporters, without dabbling in capacitative resource allocation, unless you fully understand the intricacies of the inner workings of a transporter. Task Sequences embedded within the servers should allow you to easily accomplish your objective (basis production and consumption of material), without needing to utilize process logic and corresponding Produce and Consume Blocks.

Hope this Helps.

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On 8/30/2018 at 5:53 PM, MEagar said:

So I see what you are trying to achieve, and your approach can be moddelled yet you will need to really know what you are doing if you want to start transferring entities in and out of queue's, as well as adjusting capacity of vehicles to circumvent default routing logic.

Alternatively, I would set the Retailer capacities back to one and treat an entity as a shipment from the warehouse to a retailer. I would also look at add a material element to the transporter and each server and utilize Simio's produce and consume functionality to drive variation in supply and demand.

This will allow you to utilize the base functionality of the transporters, without dabbling in capacitative resource allocation, unless you fully understand the intricacies of the inner workings of a transporter. Task Sequences embedded within the servers should allow you to easily accomplish your objective (basis production and consumption of material), without needing to utilize process logic and corresponding Produce and Consume Blocks.

Hope this Helps.

Thank you so much MEagar,

I  appreciate your reply, it really helped.

 

Edited by ajaykrishna18
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On 8/30/2018 at 3:09 PM, gocken said:

I think 2 more entities (at ridestation of vehicle) for server 1 forces vehicle to wait at server 1. Because they have nowhere to go or wait ? Increasing the capacities of inputbuffers of both servers should solve this problem? if this option is not possible for your problem setting then you have to know how many entities to send from source to servers exactly? or think about many other solutions... 

Thanks, Goken for the informed suggestion.

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