1IMPROVING MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS THROUGH COMPUTER SIMULATION: A DOWN-TO-EARTH APPROACH

Computer simulation of discrete manufacturing operations has gained wide acceptance among large manufacturing companies. Its use as a tool to help in the design of new facilities and improvement of existing installations has been well documented. However, many companies have been hesitant to view computer simulation as anything more than an exotic technology that "wouldn't have any use in our shop. " This paper describes an approach to using simulation as a continuous improvement tool in the "real world " of manufacturing where resources and time are in short supply. A detailed discussion of this simplified approach to the use of factory simulation and its benefits is presented. Several examples of actual implementation are discussed in detail, along with result