Simulation of Newspaper Production Processes - Decision and Management Support Tools

This paper presents and discusses general simulation models and global simulation systems for newspaper production, an extreme case of concurrent engineering where the final product is defined very late in the manufacturing process. Based on earlier work on production tracking and control models we have developed simulation models for newspaper production decision support. The aim of simulation is to generate adequate decision support data for the efficient control and management of the entire production process--from the editorial offices to the distribution. The focus has been on product modelling and on the simulation of processes and resources. The simulation models will also be included in a global production management system (GPMS) for the newspaper production process.