Pseudo-fuzzy discrete-event simulation for on-line production control

In this paper we propose an alternative use of commercial object-oriented discrete-event simulators. We attempt to bridge the intrinsic inaccuracy of simulators in modelling real systems affected by fuzziness. The strategy adopted, called pseudo-fuzzy discrete event simulation, models fuzziness through a set of several classic simulation runs to trace an output fuzzy performance function. The idea behind the approach proposed is to use the simulator as a fuzzy operator, which embeds some stochastic functions. A benchmark industrial setting has been used to build a reference simulation model and perform evaluations of the simulation strategy proposed for a specific working case. q 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.