A MULTI-LEVEL MODELING APPROACH FOR SIMULATION-BASED CAPACITY PLANNING AND SCHEDULING OF AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE PROJECTS

The aim of this contribution is to provide a modeling approach for multi-project manufacturing. Existing approaches for capacity planning and detailed scheduling in those complex environments are using separate models that are linked by instruction and feedback slopes. In contrast, we include multiple levels hierarchically into one simulation model. Thus, the possibilities to propagate restrictions such as precedence dependencies and starting times from gross to detailed levels in a consistent manner are established. The approach is implemented in Java, extending the modeling capabilities of a simulation-based optimization framework. A real-life application to project-oriented aircraft maintenance is presented to highlight the practicality and efficiency of the integrated model for simulation-based capacity planning using work packages as well as detailed scheduling using activities of work plans.