Simulation based design and reconfiguration of production systems

Abstract

In the time of constant changes in market demands for certain products and their amounts, time to market period is limited by the increasing competition influence. The global approach allows multinational and trans-national companies, by being present in great many markets, to market their products, which are made as a result of mass production, in smaller amounts at separate markets, leading to price decrease of these products. This conditions the need to find a way for the shortest answer possible for every customer's demand, with respect to their demands. The time for designing a product, working process and production system, procuring necessary material, equipment and tools, production and delivery should not be the reason for a decreased degree of competitiveness. This paper presents the approach in developing a method for designing production systems supported by building simulation model of the system and the working process by specialized software. Results and information acquired by simulation process should make possible the analysis of the proposed variations and making the decision on designing and later on reconfiguration of the production working unit at the moment when the values of the critical number of parameters exceed the limits of allowed deviations.