IntrotoArena

AThirdSimulation

Model3
We add more features to Model 2, also from Ch. 5 of Simulation
with Arena.
The justification for adding features is quite simple: the first
model was a first prototype, and we have just gone through the
first verification/validation cycle. At the end, we concluded that
the system actually operates on two shifts a day, and that the
second shifts has two operators assigned to the Rework
operation, thus easing the bottleneck problem we encountered.
Another problem we have to resolve is the fact that the Sealer
breaks down, rarely enough, and for short enough times that our
first approximation could ignore it, be we now must incorporate it
in the model. From extensive records, we could determine that
the mean uptime between failures was 120 minutes,
exponentially distributed, and that the repair time had a mean of
4 minutes, also exponentially distributed.
How do we add all this to the model?

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Adding Shifts.
Our run length of 2000 minutes is equivalent to a little more than
4 shifts (60*8 = 480 minutes/shift). We now need to model the
shifts explicitly, since the number of operators changes from one
shift to the next. This will be done by adding a Resource
Schedule to the Rework resource.
The sealer failures are shift independent and will be modeled using
a Resource Failure or Downtime.
Lets start with the Inspector for Rework - double-click to open
the dialog. Notice that Capacity has the value 1: this means
that there is only ONE copy of the resource available, so that only
one part can be worked at one time. Since we will have two
operators during the second shift, we must change that.

Model3
When you choose
Schedule from the
Capacity Type list,
you have two new
fields appearing. The
second provides you
with the scheduling
options: Ignore,
Preempt and Wait.
If a capacity
decrease is
scheduled and the
resource is idle, all
three options cause
the resource to
become inactive immediately. If the resource is in use, the
response differs. If Ignore is chosen, the resource capacity is
decreased immediately.
When the resource is

released by the

Model3
entity to which it is allocated, it is placed in an inactive state. It
COULD happen that a request to increase capacity arrives before
the resource is released - in this case the increase occurs
immediately. The effect is that the capacity change may never be
seen in its effects.
The Wait option will wait until the entity releases the resource
before starting the capacity decrease.
The Preempt option preempts the resource by taking it away from
the entity controlling it, starting the capacity reduction, and holding
the entity in an internal (to Arena) storage area until the resource
becomes available. At that point the entity will be reallocated the
resource and will continue processing.
When do we use each option? There are no absolute rules but a
suggestion would have us use the Ignore option if the duration of
the scheduled capacity decrease is long when compared to the
processing time. We would use the Wait option if the time
between capacity decreases is large compared
to the duration of

Model3
the decrease. The use of the Preempt option should be clear.
In the Server Data area, in the Schedule window type:
Rework Schedule
Now click on the Schedule button at the bottom of the area. A
new Schedule dialog will appear, with <End of list> on it.
Click on Add, to come up with a further dialog.
Make sure you have: Capacity 1, Duration 480
After clicking on Add, repeat the Add, but make sure you now have
Capacity 2, Duration 480. You should have the configuration in the
next slide:

Model3
Make sure that
Duration has
a value. If you
leave the field
empty, the
system will
interpret the
value as infinity
and it will never
change after
being set.
As long as you
have positive
entries, the
simulation will
repeat through
the values you have chosen.

Model3

We now turn to
modeling the
Sealer failures.
Click on the
Sealer, click on
the Resource
button to get
the dialog at
the right. In
the Failures
area click on
Add. Fill in as
indicated on
the slide. The
Uptime and
Downtime follow the distributions we claim to have gleaned from
historical data. Note we chose Time-based rather than Count-based
failure. Count-based would depend on the number serviced

the schedule choice.

Notice that we choose
Wait: consistent with

Model3
The next thing
we will do is
save more
statistical data
- the defaults
are useful, but
not all that we
may need.
The Common
panel has a
Statistics
module, which
allows us to
define
additional
statistics to be collected. Notice the five areas, denoting five types
of statistics. Lets assume we are interested in number of parts in

and cycle times.

various queues (Prep
B, Sealer, Rework areas),

Model3
Lets begin by setting up collection of
Time-Persistent (or Discrete-Change)
statistics. Click on the TimePersistent Add button.
Check the Queue button in the Data
Object area. The dialog will change
to the one on the right. Fill in:
Data Object
Queue

Select

Queue Name Part B Prep_R_Q

Save Observations to File
Check
OS File Name in Double Quotes (appears after check is done)

Prep B_Q.DAT

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Add two more queue statistics:
Data Object
Queue

Select

Queue Name

Sealer_R_Q

Save Observations to File

Check

OS File Name in Double Quotes

Sealer_Q.DAT

---------Data Object
Queue

Select

Queue Name

Rework_R_Q

Save Observations to File

Check

OS File Name in Double Quotes

Rework_Q.DAT

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Add a Tally
Tally Name
Shipping_Ta
Save Observations to a File
Check
OS File in Double Quotes
Ship.DAT
And you end up with a
dialog that looks like the
one on the right.

Model3

Exercises.

1) Go to the help files and learn how to use the Output Analyzer.
2) Go to the help files and learn how to use the Input Analyzer.
What can you say about the fit of the file partbprp.dst to the
Normal Distribution? What is the mean-square error?
3) Modify Exercise 1 of Model 2 by adding agent breaks. The 16
hours are divided into 8-hour shifts. Agent breaks are staggered,
starting at 90 minutes into each shift. Agent lunch breaks (30
minutes) are also staggered, starting 3 1/2 hours into each shift.
Compare the results of this model to the result withotu agent
breaks.
4) Using the model from Exercise 2 of Model 2, set the inter-arrivaltime distribution to exponential and the process-time distribution for
each Process to Normal, with a mean of 9 minutes. Setting the
standard deviation of the normal distribution to values of 1, 2 and 3,
make three different runs of 10,000 minutes each and compare the

results.