Chapter 4: Modeling in Plant Simulation – Resources
This chapter will introduce you to the modeling of resource objects in Plant Simulation. After completing this chapter, you will be able to:
- Understand resource objects in Plant Simulation
- Extend your model with workers and resource objects
Modeling workers and resources
In the previous chapter, you have created the processing stations of your production facility. Plant Simulation provides additional resource objects to integrate human factors and shift calendars to the processing stations.
Worker represents a person who works at a processing station, such as SingleProc, ParallelProc, Assembly, or DismantleStation. Workers can provide different types of services and have different parameters, such as efficiency and speed, to determine their behavior.
Worker can only work at a processing station if there is a Workplace attached to this station, which is not already occupied by another worker.
WorkerPool introduces Worker to the simulation. It creates the number of Worker instances with given parameters according to the creation table. Every Worker starts from the WorkerPool. They return to the WorkerPool during shift breaks and at the end of the shift, and remain in there when they do not have any work assigned. The WorkerPool also determines how workers travel between the WorkerPool and the assigned station. Workers can either move freely within the area, walk along footpaths, or teleport directly to the workplace.
FootPath connects the WorkerPool to workplaces. It is a length-oriented object, which means that the length of the footpath and the speed of the worker will be used to determine the required travel time during the simulation.
Broker manages the service requests of all processing stations and the provided services of the workers. If the provided service of a worker matches the requested service of a processing station, the Broker assigns the worker to this station and triggers the event for the worker to leave his WorkerPool and go to the requested station.
Shift calendar is used to model work shifts in your plant. You can define as many shifts as you need and set individual break times for each shift. You can also define exceptions for days on which no or reduced work is done in your plant, e.g. on a national holiday.