Track: Simulation and PLM Competition

Abstract

Nowadays, companies compete with each other for better service to their customers and this is especially true for international companies who face global opposition. One of the most basic challenges these companies face is the queuing problem. As an example, there is a giant retail company serving more than 400 stores in 15 countries with more than 180 million individual sales annually. These sales are variable for each day as well as each hour within the day with an over-all average of 700 units sold per minute. In this paper, we developed the capability to run different scenarios to solve this queuing problem based on the unique data of each shop. Taking assumptions into consideration, different scenarios are developed to better serve customers. A discrete-event simulation model is constructed using SIEMENS Tecnomatix Plant Simulation software. The model is set up so that it can dynamically be created based on input data and automatically optimize an objective function based on limiting variables. These simulation models determine the number of cash registers which should be in the store as well as when they need to be manned.