Discrete event simulation software
Discrete event simulation software helps you model processes as a sequence of events over time so you can test changes, reduce bottlenecks, and improve performance before making decisions in the real world. Simul8 makes it easier to build, run, and refine discrete event simulation models for manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and other process-driven environments.
What is discrete event simulation?
Discrete event simulation is a powerful technique for optimizing processes and making confident, impactful decisions.
Using intuitive discrete event simulation software like Simul8, you can build a visual mock-up of your process, similar to creating a flowchart. By adding timings and rules around the tasks, resources and constraints that make up your system, the simulation can accurately represent your real process.
Simulation offers a powerful, evidence-based approach to decision making. If you are new to simulation, it is a practical way to test process changes and compare what-if scenarios before making real-world decisions.
What are the benefits of discrete event simulation?
DES is an ideal method for event-driven process modeling in dynamic environments like manufacturing and service industries.
Time-based
Discrete event simulation is time based, and takes into account all the resources and constraints involved, as well as the way these things interact with each other as time passes.
This enables you to rapidly evaluate the long-term consequences of any changes and decisions you make.
Matches reality
It doesn't always take exactly 5 minutes for a customer to be served and a customer doesn't always arrive every 15 minutes.
Simulation builds in the randomness you would see in real life. So when you make changes to the simulation you see exactly how the system would behave in real life.
Effective testing
With discrete event simulation software you can quickly try out your ideas at a fraction of the cost of trying them in the real world.
And, because you can try ideas quickly, you can have many more ideas, and gain many more insights, into how to run your organization more effectively.
What can be simulated?
Discrete event simulation can be used to model any process that involves events, flow, time, resources, and variation.
The greatest value comes from simulating processes that involve change over time, variability, and randomness.
For example, at a gas station nobody can guess exactly which time the next car will arrive, whether that customer will decide to purchase gas only, or how long they’ll take to make a purchase. Modeling complex dynamic systems like this effectively by any other method isn't possible.
You can simulate manufacturing systems, healthcare operations, call centers, large-scale supply chains and much more.
How discrete event simulation works
If you’re wondering how to build a discrete event simulation model, the process typically starts with identifying entities, events, and system logic.
- Define the entities (e.g., people, products, patients).
- Specify the process flow using logic and rules.
- Assign resources and constraints.
- Run the simulation to mimic the flow of events over time.
- Analyze the output to find bottlenecks and optimize performance.
Why use discrete event simulation?
Discrete event simulation is especially useful when you need to test changes in processes where timing, queues, variability, and resource constraints affect performance.
Instead of relying on assumptions or spreadsheets alone, teams can compare scenarios, understand tradeoffs, and make decisions with more confidence before making real-world changes.
Discrete event simulation vs. real life experimentation
Cost
Experimenting in the real world is costly. It is not only the capital expenditure of hiring new staff or purchasing new equipment it is the cost of the ramifications of these decisions.
What if you fire 3 staff and then find you can't cope with the workload and you lose customers? The only cost with simulation is the software and the man hours to build the simulation. Many of our customers have seen ROI of millions of dollars.
Repeatability
In real life it is really difficult to repeat the exact circumstances again so you only get 1 chance to collect the results and you can't test different ideas under the exact same circumstances.
So how do you know which idea is really the best. With simulation software you can test the same system again and again with different inputs.
Time
If you want to know whether hiring another 3 doctors will reduce patient waiting lists over the next 2 years you'll actually have to wait 2 years.
With simulation you can run 2, 10 or even 100 years into the future in seconds. So you get the answer now instead of when it is too late to do anything about it.
Discrete event simulation vs. other techniques
Interaction of random events
Some other mathematical tools can manage to effectively model a steady state scenario but only simulation lets you build in random occurrences like a machine breaking down and see the effects of this further down the line.
The more complex the scenario is the more these tools fall down and simulation software is the only answer.
Non standard distributions
Most other techniques force you to describe a situation approximately, "it takes an average of 5 minutes to serve each customer". In real life this isn't the case. It takes 3 minutes to serve the customer if they have 4 items, it takes 7 minutes if they have 20 items.
Approximating means results like staff utilization time and customer waiting times are all inaccurate. Only simulation gives you the flexibility to describe events and timings as they actually are in real life.
Makes you think
Simulation gets you thinking about all aspects of a process. The rule and data collection forces you to consider why elements work in a certain way, if they could work better. It brings to the surface inconsistencies and inefficiencies especially between different parts of a process who work independently.
Sometimes the simulation doesn't even have to be finished, the thinking it's made you do reveals the solution.
Communication
Simulation software is visual and animated, it lets you clearly describe your proposal to others. It's more convincing than just displaying the end results as people can't see where these came from.
Simulation is so effective at communicating ideas that many companies now use it as a sales tool to sell their products.
Real-world examples of discrete event simulation
Meeting increased demand without additional costs
Fiat Chrysler improved manufacturing throughput by 39 units and increased revenue by $1,000,000 per day at its Brampton plant.
Ensuring the feasibility of investment and expansion
Memorial Health System improved patient waiting times and ensured the feasibility of a $31 million capital investment project.
Optimizing staffing to reduce customer wait times
Virginia DMV identified a staffing model to reduce customer waiting times to 20 minutes or less across 74 customer service centres.
Frequently asked questions
Discrete event simulation is used to model, analyze, and improve systems that involve queues, resources, and time-based processes. It is commonly used in manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare to identify bottlenecks, compare scenarios, and improve performance.
Discrete event simulation works by modeling a system as a sequence of events over time. Each event changes the state of the system, such as starting a task, moving a resource, or completing a process, so teams can understand how a system behaves under different conditions.
Discrete event simulation helps organizations test scenarios without risk, identify inefficiencies, reduce bottlenecks, and make more confident decisions without disrupting real-world operations.
A discrete event simulation model is a digital representation of a real-world process where changes happen as specific events occur over time. It is used to test scenarios, analyze performance, and support better decision-making.
Discrete event simulation is used in industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, supply chain, and service operations where processes involve variability, constraints, and time-based events.
Discrete event simulation is useful when you need to understand how a process behaves over time, especially when it involves queues, limited resources, changing demand, or bottlenecks.
Discrete event simulation models processes as a sequence of events over time, while agent-based modeling focuses on the behavior and interaction of individual entities within a system.
Discrete event simulation models systems as a series of events that occur at specific points in time, while continuous simulation models systems that change continuously, such as temperature, pressure, or fluid flow.
While the concepts can be complex, modern simulation software often includes visual modeling tools and intuitive interfaces that make discrete event simulation easier to learn and use.
In manufacturing, discrete event simulation is used to model production lines, optimize machine utilization, reduce bottlenecks, and test scheduling strategies before making real-world changes.
Hospitals use discrete event simulation to model patient flow, optimize operating room schedules, and evaluate staffing levels to improve efficiency and reduce wait times.
Yes. Discrete event simulation is widely used to model supply chains, including logistics networks, warehouse operations, and delivery systems, to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Yes. Discrete event simulation helps identify where delays and queues occur in a process, allowing teams to test changes and reduce bottlenecks before implementing them in real operations.
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