Simulating manufacturing systems: Computer simulations permit run-throughs of systems before they are built and evaluation of proposed changes without shutting existing systems down

Simulating a manufacturing system on a computer before the system is built saves the cost of trial-and-error experimentation. Since the expense of changing a flexible manufacturing system (FMS), for example, is often measured in hundreds of thousands of dollars or even millions, and since such changes are likely because firm design rules have not yet been established for an FMS, computer simulation can pay for itself many times over.