Simulation models as a decision support tool

The production processes of the printing industry are becoming more and more integrated but also more complex, which makes it necessary to have new kind of tools in various decision making situations. Simulation models are an option to use: they do describe a process and give numeric data which indicates how well the process operates under different circumstances. Simulation models can be used as a tool to bring common understanding of how the process actually works and how different alternations change the process behaviour: do they really improve the process as a whole or do they only create problems somewhere else in the process. Simulation models can also be built to analyse new processes before they even exist. Building the model requires one to collect objective information of the new process paving way for a wiser investment decision and making it also easier to implement the new process. This often means subtantial savings in investments. A lot of work is, however, required before a simulation model is ready for use. This article explains the various phases of building a simulation model, discusses the selection of the simulation tool and gives some examples of the simulation models VTT-IT has built for printing shops.