fraction of the work of model creation.
Modeling errors are reduced as data is automatically
transferred. The system is easily extendible and allows
non-expert use. Our experience supports the findings of
Guru and Savory (2004) who state that the template-based
methodology requires less expert knowledge of simulation
model development than the standard method of manually
building a model.
The Excel interface is user friendly. Even if information
in the Excel file has to be manually entered, users report
that it presents a faster method for model building than
the standard Flexsim graphical dialogue interface. The Excel
file provides a single location for a wide variety of system
information and simulation parameters. In addition,
experimentation using the simulation model is simplified,
especially regarding changes to parameters such as location.
The methodology is most useful for complicated systems.
There is some overhead in setting up the system, and
it may be faster to build simple models using the standard
interface. There is some threshold where it becomes
worthwhile to incur the overhead in setting up the autogeneration
system. The benefits of the system become more
apparent when modeling complicated systems, such as
those with many processing centers with varying process
capabilities.