Fun Simulation Articles

Avoiding the Simulation Vortex

Bill Nordgren
CEO, Flexsim Software Products, Inc.




Each summer for the past eight years , my wife and I get together with some good friends and take a trip to Wyoming to go white water rafting. The first year that we went, we enlisted the services of an experienced guide who helped us successfully navigate the river.
On that first trip, our guide taught us not only how to make it down the river, but how to maximize the excitement without serious mishap. Without a doubt, the most exciting spots on the river are what our guide called "deep holes."
A deep hole is where most of the river flow is channeled over several large boulders, which causes the pace of the river to pick up dramatically. As the water passes over the large rock, the water tends to rise slightly before plunging three to six feet. At the bottom, the water curls back with tremendous force causing anything that enters to roll or flip over and meet the incoming water.

When navigated correctly with the proper raft and equipment, the adrenaline created by the sudden fall of the raft, and then the upward explosion over the curl is unmatched. If navigated incorrectly, the raft can become caught in the circular motion, flipping over and sending the crew into the icy mountain water where they are at the mercy of the current. Both boats and people are caught in this river vortex which can hold them captive to endure the repeated cycles before they are spit out and sent down the river.
It would be foolish for anyone who did not have the proper training and experience to purchase a raft with all the latest features and lead an expedition in white water rafting.


The Simulation Vortex

I have known many engineers new to simulation who buy expensive simulation software with all the latest features. They get trained in the syntax of the software and then try to lead a simulation expedition. These engineers usually have a group of people that they have placed in their boat such as management, co-workers, and they have invited everyone to watch the trip.

At first the waters are calm, the ride seems smooth and enjoyable. They are unaware that around the next turn the white water is churning. When encountered, the engineer tends to place all confidence in the expensive simulation software until the simulation vortex flips the boat sending management and co-workers into the icy waters of reality. The project fails, the simulation software is blamed, and management has lost all confidence that simulation will ever provide anyone any benefit.

How To Avoid The Simulation Vortex

How do you gain the simulation experience needed to feel confident that management will give you their blessing and let you steer the raft through the rough patches? There are three things you need:

• Training
• Training
• Training

Let's take a look at these in order:

Training - Management Awareness


The first step of any successful project is to train your management in the benefits of simulation. If you can't do this, train yourself first. The evidence for the benefits of simulation is overwhelming. Educate yourself, then educate your management.

Training - Software Selection

You need to be trained on how to select simulation software. This can be done by listening to someone with experience (a guide) who has used simulation software in a real situation. The old adage "you get what you pay for" does not hold with simulation software. Look closely at the features and the usability (not ease-of-use) of the software before you buy. Usability is defined as intuitive features or constructs that make the software understandable, powerful, and easy to master. A usable product shortens the learning curve of software mastery and adds productivity to the simulation process. Even if you have all the skills to perform simulation projects, you must have the right tools to get the job done.

Training - Simulation Project Management

Get the proper training on simulation project management. Hire a guide to teach you the ropes. Learn to see your first project as one big training exercise. Your guide should work with you during this crucial time, providing training and experience in the establishment of goals and objectives, design of experiments, flow charting, data collection and statistical analysis, writing the assumptions document, phased model development, model validation, and simulation output analysis.


The Bottom Line

Every time a simulation project is declared a success, it is the result of correct simulation project management. Software is only a part of the simulation process, therefore, if you want to be successful at simulation you need to prepare and plan for success. There is a saying that I call the 5 P's; Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. Proper planning can only be achieved with proper training and efficiency in all aspects of the simulation process.

With the proper training, you can always avoid the simulation vortex, turn your simulation projects into rewarding experiences, and make yourself the hero in the process.
If you have simulation needs that are not being addressed, please contact Flexsim and get a quote. You might be surprised just how affordable and informative a simulation project can be. Please call 801-224-6914 and ask for Flexsim’s consulting services.

Get the Bird in the Air

Bill Nordgren
CEO, Flexsim Software Products, Inc.

It’s 7:30 a.m. and the temperature is a crisp 35 degrees. The anticipation and excitement is just about at peak level for me and Kira, my white lab. The hunt begins at 8:00 a.m. sharp and will continue for only two weeks, but the training and the waiting has endured for 14 months. For 16 month old Kira, this will be her first true test and she is anxious to get started. She has been on training runs before and has heard the thunder produced by the blast of a 12 gauge just a few feet over her head. But she knows today is different. With a soft whimper and the steady thump of her tail on the inside of the kennel she tells me she is ready. I look at my watch: 7:45 a.m. It is almost time.
The life of a bird dog is a simple one that consists of two things; hunting and waiting to hunt. The first thing that a bird dog learns is the importance of obedience to key words, sounds and hand signs. For a Labrador Retriever, retrieving is as natural as eating or sleeping. The ability to flush a bird takes some practice but soon becomes second nature as well. It doesn’t take long for the dog to figure out that it has to flush the bird before it can retrieve it. But that’s not all, the hunter has to do his part by shooting the bird or the effort of the dog to "get the bird in the air" is wasted. 7:58 a.m. - it’s time.

When I approach the back of my truck and open the kennel door, Kira bursts through the opening and lunges for the ground. Immediately her nose is to the ground as she tries to locate her first bird. With a loud command I shout "get the bird in the air, Kira!" Instantly she begins weaving through the brush sniffing and snorting. Within 5 minutes, Kira has flushed her first rooster and with a quick blast of the gun the pheasant falls to the ground. The bird has barely landed before Kira has it in her jaws and has prevented any escape. With just a few bounds she is back at my side with the pheasant in her mouth and with a little coaxing she releases the bird into my hands and then playfully tries to take it back. The season is less than 10 minutes old and already it has been an enormous success for Kira. It doesn’t matter if she finds another bird today since she has just proven her worth as a true bird dog. Without her, my hunting would be far less fruitful and not nearly as enjoyable.
Being a manager or engineer in today’s competitive world is littered with pitfalls and challenges that provide tremendous opportunities. It’s difficult to balance heuristics with the latest technology to achieve positive gains. Some managers and engineers spend a career to find tools that help them make the correct decisions when faced with tough challenges. One tool that has proven essential is discrete event simulation.


What Makes Simulation So Important?

Simulation is a management tool that helps managers and engineers make correct decisions about systems, no matter the complexities. Whether the system is a production, warehousing, material handing, or a human system, simulation modeling helps you "bird dog" problems associated with, and inherent in, such systems. Simulation can expose problems - it "gets the bird in the air" so the manager or engineer can deal effectively with the problem. It is impossible to deal with a problem effectively if you do not know why it is there. Simulation not only "flushes" the problem, but it "retrieves" the data that helps you understand why the problem exists. Simulation modeling is just as important for decision making for managers and engineers in charge of systems as spreadsheets are for managing business decisions, and should be used just as often.

How To Make Simulation A Success

Simulation modeling is not just an advanced technology, it is an art. No modeler has ever built the perfect simulation on his first try. Just as a great deal of training and patience goes into developing a champion bird dog, you must allow time for training and experience to become proficient at simulation modeling. A dog must learn the basics of obedience, flushing, and retrieving before it can begin to understand how all these aspects are tied together to produce a successful hunt. Once learned, the dog and the master must practice to achieve consistent results.
A simulation modeler must also learn the basics of simulation project management, queuing theory, statistics, and modeling software syntax before he can produce a successful simulation project. The modeler can then perfect the art of simulation to quickly and accurately make decisions.
Simulation must be used correctly. It would be foolish for a man to use his bird dog to try and catch fish. Because of the stochastic nature of simulation models, they are not intended for optimization or exact answers. Simulation models provide understanding on how complex systems interact in order to predict behavior. The ability to predict future behavior is your most powerful decision making tool. If models are used incorrectly, this tool is useless.
Take the time to train, flush out the problem and resolve the "bird in the air" with simulation. The pay back is well worth it.
If you have simulation needs that are not being addressed, please contact Flexsim and get a quote. You might be surprised just how affordable and informative a simulation project can be. Please call 801-224-6914 and ask for Flexsim’s consulting services.

Managing 8 Seconds

Bill Nordgren
CEO, Flexsim Software Products, Inc.


How long is eight seconds? That depends on what happens during those eight seconds. When it comes to professional bull riding, eight seconds make all the difference in the world.


In today’s Professional Bull Rider (PBR) circuit, a cowboy spends a great deal of time preparing to manage just eight seconds. Eight seconds is the amount of time a bull rider must stay on his bull to receive a score. During his eight second ride, the bull rider can't touch his free hand to the bull or to himself. He can't have his spurs tucked inside his bull rope or he'll be disqualified. In the course of a weekend event, a cowboy may have 3 to 4 opportunities to ride. If he's successful in the first 2 rides, he continues to the final round where he has the opportunity to ride again. If a cowboy can ride all four bulls he will usually win the event. Depending on the size of the event and the number of riders, winnings can range from $30,000 to $80,000. A million dollar bounty is awarded to the top cowboy in the championship event each year. That makes a nice payout for managing just 32 seconds. If you only ride one bull your take may only be $1,500. Two bulls can get you $5-$10,000. The bottom line is this: you have to ride if you want to make enough money to survive.
Tony Mendez is one of the toughest cowboys alive. Not only is he tough, he's one of the best bull riders in the PBR. Flexsim is one of Tony’s sponsors because he represents the qualities that we admire. He is a fearless, tough competitor and strives to be the best at what he does. Tony spends a lot of time preparing for a PBR event. Each day he is up early and in the gym lifting weights. But physical strength alone is not enough - you've also got to be mentally tough. You have to know you can beat the bull.
Strapping yourself to 2000 pounds of ferocious, muscle throbbing, red-eyed bull takes guts. It wants nothing more than to buck you off and then stomp you into the ground. You have to balance your body with nothing more than one hand holding onto a bull rope wrapped around a heaving animal that's out to get you. You have to be able to visualize the ride, the twists and turns. The mental ability is just as important as the physical ability when it come to bull riding.

In addition, you have to know the proper technique of preparing yourself in the chute. You have to get on the bull, maintain balance, and be ready to anticipate that first move by the bull as it explodes from the gate. What’s more important, you need to know how to get off. The last thing a rider wants to do is get hung up and not be able to free his hand from the bull rope. When this happens the results can be disastrous.
Without proper preparation, you'll have bigger worries than how to manage the eight seconds. Your biggest concern becomes survival, a successful exit strategy, and the prospects of next week. There are many variables you have to control for a successful ride. There is no greater adrenalin rush than managing those eight seconds to perfection.


The Simulation Correlation


There are many correlations between bull riding and managing your facility. In most production facilities you have a complex set of variables to manage in order to ensure a profitable outcome. If these variables are managed poorly, costs are incurred, waste increases, and profitability is lost. In bull riding the cowboy has to be able to visualize the entire riding process. He has to anticipate and react quickly to a rapidly changing environment. The same holds true in any business environment. Just as physical and mental preparation is needed to perfect the eight seconds, companies need to combine the power of visualization and optimization to ensure corporate success.
Fortunately in business you have the ability to visualize your systems and processes to ensure profitability. Flexsim simulation is one of the most powerful tools on the market to help your company reap the benefits of a properly planned and executed supply chain, manufacturing process, warehouse and distribution system, or virtually any type of system. Unless you own a crystal ball, there is no better way to predict the complex interactions and variables that exist in today’s business environment.

How To Make Simulation A Success



What are your critical eight seconds? Do you know how to react to the unexpected changes that affect your business? Are your planning, processes, and customer deliveries working as planned? Or are you falling short and losing profits, customers, and market share because you don’t have a handle on your processes? Flexsim can help you assure that your business can perform during that critical time when everything matters. Contact Flexsim and let us help you visualize your business like never before. We have helped hundreds of companies save millions of dollars.
Flexsim specializes in training and consulting using the state-of-the-art 3D object oriented Flexsim simulation software. If you have simulation needs that are not being addressed, please contact Flexsim and get a quote. You might be surprised at just how affordable and informative a simulation project can be. Please call 801-224-6914 and ask for Flexsim’s consulting services.
You don't have to take our word for it! You can try Flexsim simulation software for yourself and discover a whole new world of possibilities. Download the Flexsim demo today!

Why Simulate?

Bill Nordgren
CEO, Flexsim Software Products, Inc.

Tools to aid in production and process planning are playing an increasingly important role in assuring that a successful system is designed in the shortest period of time. One tool that is gaining rapid acceptance and is proven to be effective for improving production system design and performance is Flexsim simulation software.
Simulation has become a standard procedure for many companies when a new facility is being planned or a production change is being investigated. Companies like General Mills have used Flexsim to build a completely customized simulation platform that is used company wide to build computer models of planned systems before their implementation. Many of the pitfalls that are often encountered in the start up of a new system can be avoided by using simulation. Simulation enables one to visualize the operation of a system and clearly demonstrate the ability or inability of the system to meet the performance objectives.



The benefits of simulation in manufacturing are much like those realized in flight simulation. Flight simulators allow a pilot to gain experience without the risks, time, and costs associated with training using actual equipment. A pilot learns essential skills through his experience with the simulator. He can make mistakes in a simulated environment, and learn from those mistakes without suffering the consequence of those actions. Both skill and decision making abilities are enhanced, resulting in far greater safety and efficiency.
Like flight simulation, process and system simulation is undertaken to:

• Improve the understanding of how a system operates.
• Lessen the cost associated with experimenting on the real system.
• Minimize the risk of error when dealing with actual or proposed systems.

However, process simulation differs from flight simulation primarily in methodology. In flight simulation, the simulator and the pilot interact very closely throughout the simulation. In process simulation, decisions are predefined by the modeler in the form of decision rules and operating variables. In addition, process simulation is performed in compressed time instead of real time. This allows the modeler to run the simulation of a system thousands of time faster than real life, and to run multiple experiments on a system in a short period of time This can help to increase the understanding of the system at an exponential rate.


When To Simulate



Simulation is generally considered to be a worthwhile endeavor when the following conditions apply:

• The system lends itself to modeling. This means the process is well understood, can be defined by a flowchart, and the operation times and rules can be described. This allows the modeler to study improvements without disturbing the actual system.
• High volume and/or low volume with high dollar and high capacity rate. Shipping terminals, warehouse picking, and complex aircraft components are some excellent examples.
• System complexity can be difficult or impossible to define on a spreadsheet. Simulation allows you to look at all system interactions and how they impact each other.
• In some cases you need to visualize the process. 3D animation allows you and your customers to really "see" what will happen.

The uses of simulation are limitless. Manufacturing, material handling, baggage handling, warehousing, supply chain, food processing, healthcare, shipping ports, and lean manufacturing implementation are just a few of the applications modeled within Flexsim. Flexsim provides the most graphical 3D, user-friendly simulation environment available on the market today.

Advantages of Simulation

• When planning a new system from the ground up, simulation permits a hypothetical system to be evaluated when it does not yet exist.
• Simulation provides an excellent means of communicating ideas by:
  • providing a graphical representation of the system being studied,
  • incorporating 3D animation that allows you to visualize the process. This provides greater understanding of the challenges and operating characteristics,
  • integrating animation that allows management to view proposed changes and provides a means for greater buy-in by the management team.
• Simulation also provides an educational tool for teaching operators and process supervisors how the system will operate. Management, scheduling, maintenance, and operational strategies can be explored with increased understanding of the complex interactions that exist in the process' systems. Simulation provides a method for learning how to use problem solving techniques.

There is no excuse not to take advantage of the benefits of simulation. Many who have questioned the values of simulation are amazed at the insights they have received with just a short modeling experience in Flexsim. Instead of spending time justifying simulation, more and more managers are recognizing that the rule should be to simulate every time. What you can potentially learn from gathering the data needed to create the simulation is often justification enough, let alone the insights gleaned from the actual simulation study.
If you have simulation needs that are not being addressed, please contact Flexsim and get a quote. You might be surprised just how affordable and informative a simulation project can be. Please call 801-224-6914 and ask for Flexsim’s consulting services.