Comparing two methodologies for modeling and simulation of discrete-event based automated warehouses systems

The goal of this paper is to compare the two simulation environments of FlexSim and GPenSIM, for manufacturing simulations. A discrete-event system in material handling is taken as a case study, and this system is modeled and simulated with FlexSim and GPenSIM. The motivation of this paper is to share the experiences from this simulation study. Firstly, this paper introduces the simulation tools the FlexSim and the GPenSIM. Secondly, a case study is presented that involves an elevator as a part of a shuttle-based storage and retrieval system in a modern manufacturing facility. Since the goal and scope of this paper is limited to comparing the two simulation environments, this paper uses simple elevator algorithms (the Standard Elevator Algorithm). The experience received from the experiment are analyzed under three categories such as easiness of using, the possibility for integration with other tools and techniques, and the suitability for manufacturing simulation. The experience received from the experiment show that FlexSim being a commercial software is far easier to use and offer a dedicated environment for manufacturing simulation. Whereas, GPenSIM provides a general platform for modeling any discrete-event systems, and provide easy integration with the other tools that are available on the MATLAB platform.