Proceedings o f the 2000 Winter Simulation Conference J.

Abstract

To build a realistic simulation model is all very well - to add real value you must identify the major difficulties and generate better alternatives. Tecnomatix Technologies, developers of eM-Plant, the object oriented simulation tool for discrete event simulation, planning and optimization of production and logistics, are the world leaders of the e- Manufacturing market. eM-Plant is used across many industries from manufacturers like BMW and Daimler- Chrysler through shipyards to international finance. Experience from all these areas inspired the development of analysis and optimization tools as an integral part of the simulation objects that continuously monitor and evaluate the operation of each simulation object and its interactions at a local and global level. Thus, for example, bottlenecks in a material flow are automatically detected and Sankey diagrams generated. This object based approach fits closely with the object-oriented nature of eM-Plant that allows unprecedented accuracy and re-usability in simulation modeling. These analysis tools work with global evaluation wizards which, for example, make it simple to create specific Gantt-charts etc., and using Genetic Algorithms modules the simulation system can even propose better layouts or operating strategies.