Applications of discrete-event simulation to support manufacturing logistics decision-making: a survey

This paper presents a literature survey on recent use of discrete-event simulation in real-world manufacturing logistics decision-making. The sample of the survey consists of 52 relevant application papers from recent Winter Simulation Conference proceedings. We investigated what decisions were supported by the applications, case company characteristics, some methodological issues, and the software tools used. We found that the majority of applications has been reported in production plant design and in the evaluation of production policies, lot sizes, WIP levels and production plans/schedules. Findings also suggest that general-purpose DES software tools are suitable in most of these cases. For different possible reasons, few applications for multi-echelon supply chain decision-making have been reported. Software requirements for supply chain simulations also seem to differ slightly from those for established application areas. The applications described were carried out in a variety of different industries, with a clear predominance in the semiconductor and automotive industries.