Analysis of scheduling rules for an FMS

SUMMARY We first discuss the characteristics of a general-purpose, user-oriented discrete event simulator for FMS. Then we briefly review the literature on scheduling rules for manufacturing systems. The performance of a number of dispatching rules is subsequently analysed using our modular simulator to mimic the operation of a real-life FMS. Results show that dispatching rules have a large impact on various system performance measures, such as average machine utilization. Considering the high investment costs of FMS it is certainly worthwhile to choose the best dispatching rule by use of simulation. This is especially true since modular and user-friendly simulators are now available so that the analysis can be performed quickly and at very moderate cost.