Milk run model, how to set up the unload type and quantity per delivery ?

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christophe C2 asked Jul 6, '17 Sebastian Hemmann commented Jul 13, '17

Milk run model, how to set up the unload type and quantity per delivery ?

We try to creat a milk run model. The target is that the transporter who makes the milk run delivers a specific type and quantity of item at each production line (a production line is composed by one intermediate queue, one processor and one rack).

For exemple, we want that in the linked model, the transporter1 begins his milk run at the first queue (wich is our raw material stock) and the he have to unload at the queue 3, 4 and 5

In detail :

He loads 10 items. 5 blue, 3 red, 2 green.

Then he travels to each queue.

At the queue 3, he unloads 3 blue items and 1 green item

At the queue 4, he unloads 2 blue items and 1 red item

At the queue 5, he unloads 1 red item and 1 green item

Then the transporter returns to first queue and wait his new order.

(the queue 2 is independant and it’s load and unload by an operator)

How can we program this type of activity ? Using process flow ? Trigger message ? Pull list ?

We are newcomer with flexsim (only wotk previously on the healthcare version) so any help will be really appreciate !

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users manual milk run

milk-run-model.fsm (31.6 KiB)

Answer 1 · 2017-07-07T05:35:29Z

Sebastian Hemmann answered Jul 7, '17 Sebastian Hemmann commented Jul 13, '17

Hey, if you want to do something like this the "Keyword" you are looking for is creating your own "Tasksequences".

Yes you can use Trigger/Message/Pull list and process flow for this. In the end the solution will be some kind of mix of all these things.

Actually the easiest way to implement tasksequences is by using Process Flow. To start with this, you should at first start to understand what process flow does.

Attached you find a small example that should give you a first Approach. I deleted all Connections between the Queues and added a process flow in which the Transporter is called and has to do some tasksequences that randomly drive material to Queue 2,3 or 4.7392-milk-run-model-sh.fsm

7392-milk-run-model-sh.fsm (38.5 KiB)

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christophe C2 commented · Jul 12, 2017 at 11:17 AM

Thanks for your answer! It was really helful to understand more the process flow. But we still have a problem about setting up the parameters of our "delivery"..

As you can see in the model attached, we adapt the process flow to all the model, but the transporter delivers item one by one. How can we change the quantity? we dont find this parameter with the tokens.. Should we use a global table ? milk-run-with-process-flow-v1.fsm

For exemple that the transporter load 4 items (2red, 2blue) and deliver them at the queue 3 ?

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milk-run-with-process-flow-v1.fsm (30.8 KiB)

Sebastian Hemmann christophe C2 commented · Jul 13, 2017 at 03:23 PM

Hi, attached is a model that does what you are looking for. It is a little confusing so I will try to explain what I did.

I´m pushing all arriving Items to a list (there are several different ways to do this) and I give the Transporter the Task to drive to Q 1 seperately.

As soon as the Transporter arrives at the Q, it checks if there are items on the list. If so the first one is loaded. If there are more items the Transporter loads until a Maximum of 4 is reached, if not a Maximum wait timer is called and the Transporter goes on to drive to Q2, where everything is unloaded.

Option: You don´t Need a list, but also just can check if there is still more items in Q1 and still space available on Transporter by "decide" activitys.

Btw.: there also is an Pickoption to "load" or "unload" all items for a specific Station. But I´m quite sure, for your process this does not completelly what you are lookig for, right?

milk-run-model-sh-rev001.fsm

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milk-run-model-sh-rev001.fsm (27.9 KiB)

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