Summary
The use of Visual Interactive Simulation Modelling (VISM) as an Operations Research (OR) technique is gaining widespread popularity in CIBA-GEIGY. Currently, the demand for these applications, which are contributing millions of SFr. in savings and benefits, exceeds the available manpower in the OR group of CIBA-GEIGY. In an effort to streamline the modelling process the OR group developed a modeller's workbench for VISM called ProfiSEE.
ProfiSEE, pronounced prophecy, is a tool forProfessionals andProfit in the chemical-pharmaceutical industry designed for gaining insight throughSEEing a plant or productive unit in operation — hence ProfiSEE. The system grew out of a specific application of VISM in dyestuff production, first presented in 1987 at the annual conferences of the British and German OR societies. ProfiSEE fosters close cooperation between the OR group and its clients through improved communication with VISM as a vehicle. It embodies the core principles of VISM and makes several concrete steps in the direction of graphical programming. ProfiSEE's implementation is at the forefront of software engineering technology. It exploits the advantages of the object-oriented programming environment provided by Smalltalk-802 to the full extent and is embedded in The Analyst, a comprehensive information management tool.
This article assesses VISM and its effectiveness; reviews the initial use of VISM and the development of ProfiSEE at CIBA-GEIGY; introduces the implementation tools; summarizes the basic functionality of ProfiSEE; reviews some current applications at CIBA-GEIGY; and, in closing, sketches some developments currently in the pipeline.
Zusammenfassung
VISM (Visual Interactive Simulation Modelling) findet vermehrt Eingang in Ciba-Geigy. Die Anwendung dieses OR-Verfahrens hat erhebliches Nutzenpotential aufgezeigt und zur Einsparung in Millionenhöhe beigetragen. Zur Zeit kann die OR-Gruppe die Nachfrage für weitere Anwendungen nicht vollumfänglich erfüllen. Mit dem Ziel, den Modellierungsproeß zu straffen, wurde ProfiSEE, ein Werkzeug für VISM, entwickelt.
ProfiSEE ist ein Werkzeug für „Profis“ und „Profit“, abgestimmt auf die Bedürfnisse der chemischpharmazeutischen Industrie, womit Einblick in Produktionsanlagen vermittelt werden kann. Das Sehen der simulierten Abläufe steht hierbei im Vordergrund. Die Erfahrungen mit einem Prototyp eines Modells zur Untersuchung einer Produktionsanlage eines Farbensynthese- und Standardisierbetriebes trugen wesentlich zur Entwicklung bei. ProfiSEE fördert eine enge Zusammenarbeit der OR-Gruppe und ihren Kunden, da es die Hauptelemente des VISM beinhaltet. Einige Schritte in die Richtung der graphischen Programmierung wurden unternommen. Die Realisierung mittels der Programmierumgebung Smalltalk-80 und eines umfangreichen Informationsverarbeitungs-Systems, The Analyst, benutzt die Vorteile des vielversprechenden objekt-orientierten Ansatzes.
Dieser Artikel bewertet die Effizienz und Anwendung von VISM, faßt die Entstehung und Funktionalität von ProfiSEE zusammen, geht auf die eingesetzten Mittel ein, berichtet kurz über aktuelle Anwendungen und skizziert Weiterentwicklungen, die in Bearbeitung sind.
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Some of the issues in this paper will be covered in more detail in the methodological chapter of the author's doctoral dissertation on the subject of just-in-time strategies for the chemical-pharmaceutical industry.
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Vaessen, W. ProfiSEE: A workbench for visual interactive simulation modelling in the chemical-pharmaceutical industry. OR Spektrum 11, 239–249 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01719922
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01719922