Advanced decision logic in simulation of material flow processing networks

Material flow processing networks are ubiquitous in modern society. Such networks embody uncertainty, advanced decision logic, and increased performance expectations. As such, they have been subject to analysis by a variety of methods, with one of the most prominent being discrete-event simulation. Simulation enables detailed flow modeling, incorporates uncertainty and allows experiment-based performance assessment. Traditional approaches to simulation are not well-suited to modeling advanced decision logic, though. This paper explores the issue of representing advanced decision logic and presents a reference model for material flow processing networks to support such representations. Implementation issues are discussed, as well.