A Conceptual Model for the Simulation-Based Analysis of the Operational Planning of Spare Parts Supply Chains

Maintenance is critical to the reliability of manufacturing processes and thus for the economic performance of industrial companies. For supporting an effective maintenance, spare parts logistics have to deliver necessary parts on the right moment for the maintenance service to be executed. For analysing the effectiveness of the operational planning of spare parts supply chains, simulation approaches can help to recognize the impact of changes made to the operation rules of the system. More remarkably, its application can assist managers in the decision making process on complex problems and enable a better understanding of processes. Taking into consideration current state-of-the-art concepts and models for the operational planning of supply chains and the application of simulation techniques for the analysis of complex systems, this paper aims to propose a conceptual model for the simulation-based analysis of the operational planning of spare parts supply chains.