Advanced simulation tools assisting production scheduling

This paper aims at surveying some current trends in production engineering and their impact on using simulation as a tool for discrete production scheduling. The suitability of the simulation methods, enhanced with special characteristic features brought about by the object-oriented paradigm application, the use of suggestive graphical representations and the user-friendly Windows interfacing, are pleaded for. In this very perspective the authors' current results in developing a Petri nets-based simulation shell for discrete production systems, are referred. The model editing tool and the simulation and output analysis tool are specifically dealt with. A Windows interface manages the above-mentioned set of tools, as developed by applying the object-oriented paradigm to discrete event simulation using C++ language.