A Discrete Event Simulator for Modelling Support Services in an Engineering Environment

12个月后续资助期的主要产出将是一个可商业利用的工具“建模支持服务离散事件模拟器”。离散事件模拟涉及系统的建模，因为它随着时间的推移而演变，通过将变化表示为单独的事件。在离散事件仿真中，系统的运行被表示为事件的时间顺序。每个事件都发生在一个时刻，并标志着系统中状态的变化。在本提案的EPSRC母项目（EP/F038526/1，2008-09）中，研究人员使用离散事件模拟来开发基于工程的服务环境中各种基本场景的模型。这项模拟工作为后续的基金建议提供重点和研究成果。建议项目的目的是开发一个商业上可开发的离散事件模拟工具，专门用于在各种工程服务环境中模拟支持服务。拟议的模拟工具将有助于解决制造商缺乏建模工具的问题，这些制造商传统上制造工程产品，但现在正在提供支持这些产品的服务。这些公司目前无法获得定制的建模能力，以评估改变其支持服务战略的影响。目前的服务模拟工具似乎是普遍采取的创新或业务发展的方法，因此，在一个组织内的高层次的决策，不能直接应用到支持服务的详细设计。离散事件仿真领域和可用的商业工具（例如Lanner Group Limited的Witness、Rockwell Automation的竞技场和Simul 8 Corporation的Simul 8）过去通常也集中于对制造商的生产操作而不是服务操作进行建模。因此，使用现有的模拟工具进行建模支持服务非常耗时，需要高水平的建模技能和知识，超出了通常的要求。该项目的愿景是开发一种商业上可利用的离散事件模拟工具，将建模支持服务所需的时间从几个月减少到几天，并大大降低所需的建模技能和知识水平。拟议的后续项目将侧重于实现这一愿景所需的技术和业务发展活动。所提出的模拟工具的独特卖点是它能够在各种基于工程的服务环境中模拟支持服务。鉴于服务相关业务对英国工程部门的重要性日益增加，该工具可能会对该行业产生重大影响。（如实物资产、服务人员和备件）和工程环境中的信息流，拟议的模拟工具将使公司能够分析不同程度的信息提供对不同合同类型的影响。通过这种方式，公司将能够使用拟议的模拟工具来轻松评估其客户群的潜在服务需求以及如何最好地实现这些需求。他们还将能够确定提供支助服务的业务流程中的瓶颈。该工具还将允许“假设”分析，以帮助行业决策过程。该工具的最终用户将能够审查其产品提供服务的成本效益。该工具可用于辅助开发业务模式，以采用信息技术（如综合车辆健康管理- IVHM）进行服务操作。它还可以帮助确定从信息技术实施中获益最多的服务方案。

The key output of the 12-month follow-on funding period will be a commercially exploitable tool 'Discrete Event Simulator for Modelling Support Services'. Discrete event simulation involves the modelling of a system, as it evolves over time, by representing the changes as separate events. In discrete event simulation, the operation of a system is represented as a chronological sequence of events. Each event occurs at an instant in time and marks a change of state in the system. Within the parent EPSRC project of this proposal (EP/F038526/1, 2008-09), the investigators have used discrete event simulation to develop models of various basic scenarios in the context of an engineering-based service environment. This simulation work provides the focus and research results for this follow-on fund proposal.The aim of the proposed project is to develop a commercially exploitable discrete event simulation tool customised for modelling support services within various engineering-based service environments. The proposed simulation tool will help to address the lack of modelling tools experienced by manufacturers who traditionally manufactured engineering products but are now moving into the provision of services to support these products. These companies currently do not have access to customised modelling capabilities to assess the impact of changing their support service strategies. The current tools for service simulation appear to be generally taken from innovation or business development methodologies, and are therefore aimed at high level decision making within an organisation and cannot directly be applied to the detailed design of support services. The field of discrete event simulation and the commercial tools available (such as Witness from Lanner Group Limited, Arena from Rockwell Automation and Simul8 from Simul8 Corporation) have also typically focused in the past on modelling a manufacturer's production operations rather than service operations. The use of existing simulation tools for modelling support services is therefore very time consuming and requires a high level of modelling skills and knowledge beyond that normally required. The vision of this project is to develop a commercially exploitable discrete event simulation tool that can reduce the time required for modelling support services from months to days and significantly reduce the level of modelling skills and knowledge required. The proposed follow-on project will focus on technical and business development activities necessary for achieving this vision. The unique selling point of the proposed simulation tool is its ability to model support services within various engineering-based service environments. Given the increasing importance of service-related operations for the UK engineering sector, this tool is likely to have a high impact on the industry.By modelling the combined effects of physical elements (such as physical assets, service personnel and spare parts) and information flows within an engineering environment, the proposed simulation tool will allow companies to analyse the impact of different levels of information provision on different contract types. In this way, companies will be able to use the proposed simulation tool to assess, with ease, the potential service needs of their customer base and how these needs can be best achieved. They will also be able to determine bottlenecks in business processes that deliver the support services. The tool will also allow for 'what-if' analysis aiding the decision making process in industry. End users of the tool will be able to examine the cost-benefit effect of service provision with their products. The tool can be used as an aid to the development of business models for the adoption of information technology (such as Integrated Vehicle Health Management - IVHM) for service operations. It can also help in identifying service scenarios that benefit most from information technology implementation.