Evaluation of Tools for Modeling Manufacturing Systems Design with Multiple Levels of Detail

This paper presents an investigation of simulation packages regarding their ability to model business processes related to manufacturing systems. Three simulation packages are investigated: VS7, SIMAN/CINEMA IV, and SIMFACTORY II.5. These packages are evaluated with regard to their capabily of modeling problems related to the manufacturing systems design (MSD) framework, which involves different levels of detail: the conceptual modeling level and the detailed design level. The investigation is based on a case study related to manufacturing systems. The main objective of this investigation is to examine the manufacturing simulation packages and their ability to offer variable detail modeling. Research findings suggest that no simulation environment offers sufficiently flexible facilities for the variable detailed modeling of manufacturing systems design. The paper proposes a method for systems entity classification to increase the levels of detail in an effective manner without duplication of data collection and model building efforts.