Resource Management in FlexSim Modelling: Addressing Drawbacks and Improving Accuracy

Abstract

The use of resources is an excellent concept for solving the contradiction problem in the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ; Russian acronym) methodology. However, it is always assumed that a proposed solution that uses external resources is elegant and perfect. This paper presents an example of simulation 3D modelling using FlexSim, which shows that the use of external resources can give rise to inaccurate waiting times in a queue. This paper provides an alternative process flow model in FlexSim to remove this drawback and show that, when solving the contradiction problem in TRIZ using external resources, one needs to consider the function replacement of an object and consideration should also be given to the measurement of the performance of other objects. To the best of our recalled knowledge, this paper is probably the first attempt to apply the resource concept to the simulation model. Three levels of resource are developed through the contradiction matrix of a technical contradiction in the default usage of resources in the simulation model. These resources can progressively reduce the measurement errors in waiting time and are easily ignored by simulation programmers.