Material Handling Information - How to Get Started - Why Simulate?
How to Get Started
Why Simulate?
Simulation has become a widely used tool in material handling. The primary purpose of simulation is to describe and analyze the behavior of a system, ask "what if" questions about a system, and aid in the design of real systems.
Advantages of Simulation
Resource Savings: Simulation allows for the testing of designs or changes with minimal commitment of resources.
Time Control: With simulation, a whole day of operation can be studied within a few minutes or two hours can be spent examining just one minute of operation.
Reality Re-Enactment: Simulation provides information on why something happens in a real system by recreating the system in a model and controlling the constraints to the system.
Off-Line Testing: Once a valid simulation model has been developed, it is easy to explore new policies, operating procedures, or methods without the expense and disruption of experimenting with the real system.
System Insight: Simulation can be used to develop understanding about how a system operates. Simulation allows for identification and exploration of system constrains and interactions.
System Design: Simulation can be used to test and specify the requirements of a system.
Disadvantages of Simulation
Simulation modeling is an art that is learned over time and through experience; special training is required.
Simulation results can be difficult to interpret.
Simulation modeling and analysis can be time consuming and moderately expensive.
Simulation can be improperly applied. There are situations where simulation cannot be applied.
