An analysis of manufacturing simulation software.

As a management tool Similation Software deserves greater analysis from both an academic and industrial viewpoint. A comparative study of three packages was carried out from a 'first time' use approach. This allowed the ease of use and package features to be assessed using a simple theoretical benchmark manufacturing process. To back the use of these packages an objective survey on simulation use and package features was carried out within the manufacturing industry.This identified the use of simulation software, its' applicability and preception of user requirements thereby proposing an ideal package.

Benchmarking the business and operations strategy link.

This paper reports on the use of benchmarking to improve the links between business and operations strategies. The use of benchmarking as a tool to facilitate improvement in these crucial links is examined. The existing literature on process benchmarking is used to form a structured questionnaire to apply to six case studies of major maunfacturing companies. Four of these case studies are presented drawing upon the critical success factors identified both in the literature and on the case results. Recommendations for further work are outlined.