MODELING OVERVIEW This section provides an introduction to the basic building blocks of WITNESS and how you can use them to build a model. The description is designed to give you an overall appreciation of the product before introducing you to model examples where WITNESS’s processes and features are explored in more detail.
Elements: the WITNESS Building Blocks A business or commercial operation might produce a number of different parts using a variety of machines, conveyors, vehicles, other equipment and people. A WITNESS model uses the same combination of parts, people, machines and other simulation devices, called modeling elements, in order to simulate the operation being studied. There are two main versions of WITNESS which offer different terminologies for manufacturing and for service and process applications. This book is designed for people principally modeling manufacturing applications. However the elements give scope for modeling other applications too. For example it is possible to model logistical operations. It is also possible to treat the manufacturing terminology in the product abstractly – modeling people or telephone calls as parts to be processed by different activities – represented by machines, and so on. For customers principally modeling non-manufacturing activities we recommend the Service and Process Performance edition of WITNESS. As you become more familiar with the capabilities of each element, you will find that virtually any aspect of your operation can be meaningfully represented.
LEARNING WITNESS BOOK ONE
MODELING OVERVIEW
Page 17