Development of a Computer-Integrated Manufacturing Simulation Model: A Hybrid Systems Approach.

The key to the successful factory of the future will be the effective coordination of managerial functions and production operations. The research presented in this dissertation addresses this coordination issue, especially in terms of understanding the impact and possibilities which exist in an information-rich environment. Such an environment is often referred to in the literature as being a computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) environment. An interactive simulation modeling program, MOSES (Manufacturing Organization Simulation and Evaluation System), was developed for the purpose of describing, analyzing, and understanding such manufacturing. MOSES is a copyrighted computer program, a menu-driven, interactive, simulation modeling tool. MOSES users are able to define the manufacturing environment to be simulated by keying in data values (e.g., products, bills of material, and production rates) which describe the organization. MOSES then uses these data values to build the manufacturing simulation model. That is, once the manufacturing parameters have been defined, MOSES can simulate the manufacturing organization (from orders through distribution) without the user having to write any computer code or having to understand the principles of simulation modeling. MOSES users are then able to interact with the manufacturing organization as managers in the dynamic simulation environment. This interactive capability allows MOSES users to test various manufacturing scenarios, watch the model\u27s progress from the perspectives of different organizational functions (e.g., from marketing or from production), override model-generated decisions (e.g., by changing the demand forecast), and view the results. The MOSES approach to simulation modeling differs from traditional approaches. In short, MOSES uses both mathematic and logical modeling principles, employs traditional simulation modeling techniques but in combination with database technology, and includes the user as an integral component in the simulation process