question

Short Answer: Absolutely!

Long Answer: It depends on how you build your model. If you built your model to only handle one set of job allocations, it might be difficult to re-allocate jobs, to test another job allocation scenario. While this can be helpful, it is often best to be able to compare scenarios. With this in mind, it would be completely possible to build your model so that each job could be easily assigned to any station. Usually, users set up a table that allows them to easily enter the station for each job, or something similar.

Once it is easy to reassign jobs, you can begin to compare scenarios. There are three main ways of doing this. First, you can do it manually. Just update the global table, and then watch as the model runs. This method allows you to get a deep understanding of the complete story of each scenario. Second, you can use the Experimenter feature of FlexSim. Basically, it allows you to create a set of scenarios, and run multiple replications on each one. It makes comparison between many scenarios much simpler.

The third option is to use OptQuest, the optimization package integrated with FlexSim. With OptQuest, you give it a set of variables, rules, and goals. In your case, the variables would be the job allocations. The rules would be things like job dependencies; Job C must happen after Job A, and that sort of thing. The goals are the things that you maximize or minimize. In your case, perhaps you want to maximize throughput, and minimize idle time at each station, or maybe minimize takt time, or all three. Then the optimizer will simulate scenario after scenario, trying to determine which scenario gives the best solution. You can even supply scenarios as starting points, so that the optimizer doesn't have to start its search from scratch.

Bear in mind that the first option is easiest, and that the second and third options will require some forethought and extra work. In addition, to use the optimizer, you will need an OptQuest license, which is usually not included with the standard license of FlexSim. However, if done correctly, experimentation and optimization can yield far more helpful results.