Resource Optimization in

FlexSim
Mano Kanthanathan
Commercial Consultancy Services
mano@ccsstrategy.com
www.flexsim.com
March 25, 2016

3/25/2016

Commercial Consultancy Services

Introduction
Resource optimization is the set of processes and methods to match
the available resources (human, machinery, financial) with the needs
of the organization in order to achieve established goals
Simultaneously determining the Resource allocation and the Resource
utilization during the planning horizon to meet customer demand is
not a trivial task
Resource optimization problems often have characteristics that pose
challenges while optimizing
OptQuest is a tool in FlexSim that can model the problem and find
optimum solution with relative ease
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OptQuest
OptQuest incorporates an advanced technique called metaheuristics
to guide its search algorithm toward better solutions
Tabu search, scatter search, integer programming, and neural
networks are combined into a single, composite search algorithm in
OptQuest
Giving very accurate optimal solutions

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Resource Optimization Example

Assume we have to manufacture products that require 5 machining
steps
Machine operation and product movement is carried out by
operators
The objective is to find number of operators to be used, which will
provide the maximum throughput per operator and optimum
production
A simple 5 machine in series problem is built in FlexSim, with a
dispatcher and an operator
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Simulation Layout

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Optimizer Design
Since we have to determine the number of operators required
Assume number of TE(operators) in dispatcher as a variable in
Experimenter tab

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Optimizer Design contd.

The objective function is to maximize throughput per operator and
there are no constraints
Configure the Optimizer and click on the Optimize button to
generate the results

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Optimizer Results
All results with the best solution can be viewed in Optimizer results
tab by using the Export to CSV option.

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Optimum Solution
Number of operators

1 (initial)

Production

31

190

204

210

31.67

29.14

26.25

Throughput per Operator 31

From the results we see that Throughput per operator is highest

when number of operators is 6(31.67)
The production is highest when number of operators is 8(210)
followed by 7(204) and 6(190)
Hence we take optimum number of operators as 6, because it gives
best throughput per operators with high production
Production for 8 and 7 are only marginally higher than 6
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Queries

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