Modeling, simulation and optimization of logistic systems

In the last two decades, discrete simulation has become the most powerful tool in modelling logistic systems in a dynamic stochastic environment. An open challenge is trigged by the need to devise ways of developing easy-to-read and expressive visual modelling paradigms. Most modelling paradigms, as Event Graphs and Petri Nets, currently adopted mainly in an academic context, have been generally supplanted by simulation packages in real system applications. Nevertheless, our belief is that these are more expressive and powerful in modelling logistic systems. We rely on an innovative visual modelling paradigm based on the process interaction conceptual framework and on the holistic modelling approach, which we are presenting in this paper. The paper focuses on the way of representing processes, resources and entities that compose our simulation modelling paradigm. Modelling capabilities of our modelling paradigm are compared to those of Event Graphs and Petri Nets within a real case study.