This paper describes an effort of testing the Core Manufacturing Simulation Data (CMSD) information model as a neutral data interface for a discrete event simulation model developed using Enterprise Dynamics. The implementation is based upon a model of a paint shop at a Volvo Car Corporation plant in Sweden. The model is built for a Swedish research project (FACTS), which focuses on the work procedure of developing new and modified production systems. FACTS has found standardized simulation data structures to be of high interest to achieve efficient data collection in conceptual stages of production development programs. For the CMSD-development team, implementations serve as an approach to validate the structures in CMSD and to gather requirements for future enhancements. CMSD was originally developed to support job shops, but the results of this implementation indicate a good possibility to extend CMSD to also support flow shops.
Despite significant cost savings and the stride towards developing and implementing the Virtual Factory, few companies have managed to fully integrate simulation as a daily tool in their engineering processes. The objective of the paper is to explore the pre-requisites for this integration, using Discrete Event Simulation as an aid for high quality decision making in early phases (conceptual design and pre-study). The paper looks at three aspects of the prerequisites: technological, operarional, and organizational and summarizes the main challenges connected to each one of the aspects. The main result presented in the paper is a proposal for a simularion handbook, to be used when integrating simulation into the engineering process. The strength of the handbook is the focus on operational and organizational issues, reflecting different roles with connection to simulation. Future work aims at validating the impact of the handbook.
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