Principles of Discrete Event Simulation
Principles of Discrete Event Simulation
Art and Theory of Dynamic Programming
Art and Theory of Dynamic Programming
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An important design issue for the automated factory of the future is the material handling function. Flexible manufacturing facilities demand an equally flexible material handling system. Material handling can have a significant impact on work-in-process inventory, and capacity requirements as well as material flow considerations. Since flexible manufacturing facilities are typically costly to design, install and maintain, direct experimentation is not feasible and analytical models give only an approximate solution at best. Due to the magnitude of the economics, even small errors of approximation can be significant. Clearly, computer simulation can be a very effective design and analysis tool for the investigation of material handling processes. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of alternative control procedures for dispatching driverless (automated) vehicles to transport "move orders" between manufacturing cells or "islands". Dispatching methodologies examined include first-come-first-served, a dynamic adaptation of the assignment problem and a dynamic programming approach which seeks an optimal tour over the next two, three, etc. moves. Both the value of such optimum-seeking dispatching rules and the appropriateness of computer simulation as an effective design tool are discussed.