Logistics systems modeling and simulation

Modern logistics systems are much more than simply networks of material flow. They involve collaboration between firms that are also competitors. The supply chain can be a key consideration in product design, with its design and operations influenced by concerns about uncertain energy costs, sustainability, economic security, and other complex issues. Because of these and other considerations, the contemporary practice in which an analysis model is the first “formal” model of the logistics system is no longer feasible. Rather, what is required for a sustainable practice of simulation in logistics is a model-based approach which begins with a formal language for capturing a defining description of the logistics system itself. This formal language must be sufficiently accessible to the logistics systems stakeholders so that they can validate the resulting system description. The resulting descriptive model will be the basis for subsequent analyses, including simulation. In this context, we address the requirements for such a formal language, describe our initial progress in developing such a language for logistics systems, and place it in the context of prior work on “reference models”.