Investigation Into ERP-Based Symbiotic Simulation Project Implentation On Ford Engine Production Line: Challenges, Opportunities and Prospects

The paradigm of Symbiotic Simulation describes a
close relationship between a simulation system and the
physical system. This relationship is usually mutually
beneficial, wh
ereby the simulation system benefits from
a steady supply of real
-time data from the physical
system, while the physical system benefits from the
optimised decisions arrived at through what
-if
experiments executed by the simulation system. In
furtherance o
f existing work towards developing
symbiotic simulation systems anchored on integration
with corporate information systems, this paper presents
research into an industrial application of symbiotic
simulation to improve the simulation project life
-cycles
at a major automotive engine production line controlled
by a shop floor information system. We discuss
inexorable issues associated with the implementation of
the relatively novel concept of symbiotic simulation,
highlight the challenges to successful implementation in
a corporate change
-averse culture, suggest solutions for
surmounting them and discuss the impact and prospects
for symbiotic simulation with ERP integration
.