An efficient discrete-event model for production networks of general geometry

Abstract

This paper develops a discrete-event hybrid simulation/analytic model for the study of production networks. The system is represented by a set of nonlinear difference equations for the slow-varying dynamics, which are tractable by simulation, and a set of piecewise linear algebraic equations for the fast dynamics, which are solved analytically. The resulting algorithm saves a great amount of computation and is much faster than conventional piece-by-piece simulators.