Simulation with Arena (including Arena Academic Version on CD-ROM)

Citation

(1998), "Simulation with Arena (including Arena Academic Version on CD-ROM)", Assembly Automation, Vol. 18 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.1998.03318dad.011

Simulation with Arena (including Arena Academic Version on CD-ROM)

Simulation with Arena (including Arena Academic Version on CD-ROM)

W.D. Kelton, R.P. Sadowski and D.A. SadowskiMcGraw-Hill1998547 pp.ISBN 0 07 561259 3£59.99

Arena is Windows-based simulation software for modeling systems in manufacturing, transportation, logistics, warehousing, and business processing. It creates animated computer models that might accurately represent virtually any system, and by using a point-and-click interface with user dialogues, simulations can be built without programming. First released in 1993, the package's core technologies are the established SIMAN simulation language and Cinema animation system such that when developing a simulation within the Arena environment, the software generates the necessary SIMAN model and Cinema animation layout automatically.

This text introduces the subject of simulation using examples from Arena and is designed for introductory simulation courses offered in industrial engineering and business departments, in addition to users looking for an introduction to the Arena package. Simulation with Arena is the only book to cover the Arena product and is accompanied by an Arena CD-ROM containing the academic version of the software, which is a fully functional copy of the Arena Standard Edition with a limit on model sizes. The academic purchaser may install this version at will, though the software is not authorised to be used in commercial environments.

The book starts by having the reader develop simple, well animated, high-level models, and then works its way to advanced modeling and analysis. The first two chapters introduce simulation, setting its current status in the context of its historical development, while the next two introduce the Arena package and its interface. Five subsequent chapters introduce the modeling concepts and methodologies used for the construction of simulations for complex systems, including input data analysis, verification and output analysis. The material moves on through constructs to cover material-handling applications, and introduces the use of low-level constructs from the SIMAN language to enable the building of complex simulations for the advanced user. The ability to customise the package via Visual Basic, data exporting, additional features of the professional edition and the construction of custom reports round off the "how to" chapters. The remaining two chapters are dedicated to the more advanced underlying statistical concepts that are applied to simulation analysis, and a broad overview of the processes and issues involved in managing a simulation project. Appendices offer background and reference material, including examples and a probability and statistics refresher course.

Most of the writing is in a tutorial style, with much of the material being presented via detailed examples. As a text aimed as a first course on simulation or for self-study, the material is approachable from a low level of initial knowledge, though the later chapters offer much advanced information. The style makes for relatively easy reading, even punctuated with humour, and there are plenty of screen shots allowing the step-by-step following of examples in the text. The book is well indexed, and has a single section for references. Further information is available for both the book and the Arena package, at the software originator's Web site, WWW: http://www.sm.com/arena.book/.