The use of simulation for construction elements manufacturing

The manufacture of pre-cast concrete building elements consists of a few manufacturing steps. The process itself is simple, but the characteristics of the business are quite random. Simulation modeling is an effective tool for analyzing the difficulties of scheduling and making parts of many different specifications. Random elements include the time to set-up, inspect, mix, pour cement and form concrete. Furthermore, activities scheduled at different areas of the plant have a great impact on the facility's ability to meet delivery dates. A simulation model offers the capability to capture many of the random elements and to facilitate the analysis of complicated what-if scenarios. In this paper, we describe, within confidentiality limits, a model that represents many of the interacting components of such a facility.