Welcome to the New Year. I am looking forward to being the president of our organization this year. With many new and enthusiastic faces as well as several returning contributors to the board, we are planning to bring some positive changes your way. As many of you may have noticed we are soliciting all members for their suggestions and desires so we may tailor the future direction of this organization to all the members’ needs. We are seeking new ways to increase the participation in our group activities and make attending these activities more convenient and rewarding for everyone. You can expect to see dinner meetings become a new part of our schedule as well as some more socially oriented activities.
We are striving to provide you with a connection to the core of Michigan’s Simulation Community. Let’s work together to make this a great year.
Dan Cook, Incoming President
Your Editor welcomes readers' comments as fuel for a "Letters to the Editor" column!
Pros Find Answers At Simulation Solutions Conference In April
"This
conference is about using simulation in the real world ... it's definitely
the place to be for anyone involved in simulation."
Act
now!
Hands-on
training, exciting speakers, and cutting-edge workshops will take center
stage at IIE's Simulation Solutions Conference. This premier gathering of simulation professionals will be
held at the San Diego Marriott Mission Valley in San Diego, California,
April 8-10.
According
to a recent poll, nearly half of the IIE members that responded tell us
that they use simulation on the job. That's why IIE's annual Simulation Solutions
conference is geared toward practical applications for working
professionals as well as simulation researchers. Attendees will find practical solutions to the
simulation challenges they face.
"This
conference is about using simulation in the real world," Conference
Chair,
Rainer Dronzek said. "Everyone
who comes to this event will leave with tools they can use to
make their business more successful. This is definitely the place to be for anyone
involved in simulation."
In
addition to the conference's seven educational tracks - including exciting
new sessions on military applications -- participants can also sign up for
in-depth pre-conference workshops, taught by leaders in the field of simulation.
Topics include Advanced Flow
Manufacturing, Field Guide to Simulation, Statistics of Simulation, Factory
Physics, and Modeling Human Performance for System Design Analysis.
Plus,
conference participants will gain insight into the field from the pioneers
who will serve as featured speakers at the conference: Nick Andreou, Engineering Group Manager,
General Assembly Engineering, North American Vehicle Operations,
General Motors, Denise Lyons, Naval Air Warfare Center, and Lucien (Lou)
Keller, Chief Operating Officer, Indy Interactive Corporation
Simulation
Solutions Conference attendees will find ample opportunities to interact
with peers and share ideas with colleagues in a variety of industries.
The conference features a vendor
gallery to help participants stay informed about the latest developments.
For
full conference details, and to register online go to the official conference
Web page at http://www.simsol.org. Also, don't forget to make your hotel
reservations! The special
conference room rate of $145 per night is still available. Make your
reservations by calling 1-800-842-5329.
Dan Cook, President
As production demand changes in our fluctuating economy, cost efficiencies become increasingly critical. The need for better decisions -- faster decisions -- considering more alternatives -- continues to put pressure on all aspects of operations, manufacturing and the supply chain.
Simulation is the proven tool of choice for providing the analysis required to achieve continuous operational improvements. A realistic and accurate simulation model helps an organization determine how proposed changes, alternatives, and new designs will impact operations. Experimenting with different scenarios in the "virtual world" can lead a company to optimal changes in the real world. Simulating reality before making investments and operation decisions eliminates the guesswork.
Symposium 2002 is designed for companies using simulation as well as those considering simulation software and services. This unique event is focused on how companies solve real-world problems and improve productivity through the use of AutoMod™. User case studies, workshops, tutorials and product demonstrations offer valuable educational benefits along with networking opportunities. The AutoMod™ annual User Group meeting affords the opportunity to meet with the Brooks simulation development team. A new Management Track will take a higher-level view of the business value and return on investment achieved through simulation.
The Brooks Worldwide Symposium will address all semiconductor applications including the use of simulation in the semiconductor industry. That event is slotted for the first week of October. Further information about the annual worldwide symposium will be announced in the near future. For more information on Symposium 2002 please contact Cassandra Bachtell at cassandra.bachtell@brooks.com .
Cassandra Bachtell, Brooks Automation
Annual Delmia North American User Conference
The Delmia North American User Conference is an excellent opportunity to listen to exciting, high-level keynote and user presentations, exchange ideas with fellow Delmia users, learn about the latest Delmia developments and get some helpful hints. There will be a welcome reception to kick off the conference and an evening activity after the first full day. This two day conference will take place September 17-18 at the Somerset Inn, Troy, Michigan; the welcome reception will be the evening of September 16. Please send electronic mail to uc2002@delmia.com for more information.
Martin Barnes, Delmia
The schedule for meetings during 2002 ("second glimpse") is summarized in the table below. The number and dates of Steering Committee meetings late in the year will be decided at subsequent Steering Committee meetings.
|
|
Date |
Time |
Location |
|
Steering Committee Meeting |
05-Apr-02 |
12:00-2:00 |
Forward Vision1 |
|
General Membership Dinner &
Meeting |
24-Apr-02 |
Evening |
Juliano’s Restaurant, 27380 Van Dyke2, Warren, MI 48093 |
|
Steering Committee Meeting |
20-May-02 |
12:00-2:00 |
DSI3 |
|
Steering Committee Meeting |
19-Aug-02 |
12:00-2:00 |
CKGP4 |
|
Steering Committee Meeting |
23-Sep-02 |
12:00-2:00 |
Lanner5 |
|
Annual All-Day Conference |
6-Nov-02 |
8:00-4:00 |
MSU Management Center, Troy |
1Detailed directions available from Joe Hugan, (734) 462-3110, x125.
2Just a couple of blocks north of I-696. Restaurant telephone is 586-754-8383.
3Detailed directions available from Jon Booth, (248) 489-4300 x2265.
4Detailed directions available from Dan Cook, (248) 343-3842.
5Detailed directions available from Mike Smith, (734) 462-3122.
Meeting minutes submitted as .pdf file.
Respectfully submitted,
Jon Booth, 2002 MSUG Secretary
Design Systems, Incorporated
248-489-4300 x2265
248-489-4321 FAX
MSUG Steering Committee Meeting Minutes, 25 February 2002
Meeting minutes submitted as .pdf file.
Respectfully submitted,
Jon Booth, 2002 MSUG Secretary
Design Systems, Incorporated
248-489-4300 x2265
248-489-4321 FAX
As mentioned in our steering committee meeting minutes, the
steering committee voted to allow sponsorship of MSUG general membership
meetings. Honorable mention will be made to sponsors for their support to MSUG.
No "sales pitches" will be permitted for that privilege.
Anyone interested in sponsoring our general meetings should
contact our Facilities Chairperson (Mike Smith, contact information at left) or
other steering committee member for further details.
Haiping Xu, Speakers
The MSUG Web site is evolving and we have added a new area for simulation service providers. We will have the name of the company and a link to their web site. If you are a simulation service provider who would like to be added to our web site, or know of one, please initiate arrangements through Edward Williams, Newsletter/Website, williame@umdsun2.umd.umich.edu or ewilliams@pmcorp.com .
Your General Meeting chair on the MSUG steering committee eagerly and urgently invites presentation submissions for the general membership meetings in 2002. Please send one-paragraph summaries to Martin Barnes (contact information at left). Presentations for the 24 April dinner meeting are requested with special urgency!
Following
tradition like the swallows returning to Capistrano, the 33rd Winter
Simulation Conference returned this past December to the Washington D.C. area. From December 9-12 of 2001, the annual
conference was held at the Crystal Gateway Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.
In the post-September 11th
climate, the conference was somewhat smaller with 506 paid attendees and 26
vendors exhibiting their wares.
The smaller size did not diminish the quality of the papers though. The program included 13 well-organized
tracks with over 200 papers.
This year's conference will be held at the
Hyatt Regency Hotel in San Diego from December 8-11, 2002. For more information and PDF copies of
past papers, visit the conference website at http://www.wintersim.org.
Joe Hugan
WSUA 2001 Conference Takes Users on SIM Odyssey
The WITNESS Simulation Users Association held its annual users’ conference September 27 and 28 at the Westin River North in downtown Chicago. The conference, billed as the 2001: SIM Odyssey, featured eight user presentations, four different workshops, and two educational seminars for people just learning about simulation.
WSUA 2001 attracted 78 registrants, more than any American conference in Lanner’s history. However, the tragic events of September 11 nearly forced the conference to be postponed. While a number of registrants were unable to attend due to corporate travel restrictions, nearly 50 users carried through with their plans to attend, many driving from such distances as Texas and Massachusetts. One user described his commitment to attend as a demonstration of “the resilience of a democracy to continue as freemen.” He added that “everything that progresses as planned is a step towards victory over the intended purpose of the terrorist acts.”
The conference kicked off with an overview of Lanner’s business by American President Shane Kite. This was followed by Lanner Product Manager Tony Waller’s product update, which highlighted the recent WITNESS 2001 release, advances in the VR product and services, and the newly launched SIMBA Developers Toolkit.
The conference was then divided into a main session featuring user presentations and a workshop session run by Lanner consultants. Eight users presented at WSUA 2001, including Dr. Perakath Benjamin from KBSI, Randy Combs from General Motors, David Liljegren from Motorola, Dr. Averill Law from Averill M. Law & Associates, Ian Rawles from Siemens, Bill Lindler from EDS, Reda Iskarous from Bayer Diagnostics, and Ken Neeld from Technical Simulations. The four Lanner workshops were on WITNESS 2001, Optimizer, VR, and using Excel with WITNESS.
Attendees came together for two general session events: a roundtable discussion on selling management on simulation and a user forum at which Lanner representatives answered questions and fielded enhancement requests about WITNESS.
On the conference survey, one attendee commented, “The presentations provided fresh ideas for possible applications. And I was impressed with the eagerness of the Lanner staff to provide support during the conference.” Said another: “I enjoyed the workshops and the opportunity to take advantage of one-on-one consulting. There is also a great deal of value to be derived from the interaction with other users.”
Pete Tiernan, Lanner Group Incorporated
Karl V. Groth, Senior Project Engineer
CKGP & Associates, a division of RDS
31333 Southfield Road
Beverly Hills, Michigan 48025-5440
Telephone 248-642-7970; fax 248-642-1303 or 248-642-8927
Web site http://www.ckgp.com
RDS web site http://www.rapid.com
Email groth@ckgp.com
2. We seek a simulation expert with 3+ years’ experience in major simulation software (AutoMod™, Witness©, etc.) with application experience in Body Shops at the Big 3. If you are, or know of, such a candidate, please send the pertinent résumé directly to me (ulgen@pmcorp.com); it will be appreciated.
Dr. Onur Ülgen
Production Modeling Corporation
Three Parklane Boulevard, Suite 1006 West
Dearborn, Michigan 48126
Telephone 313-41-4460 extension 1107; fax 313-441-6098
Web site http://www.pmcorp.com
Edward Williams, 313-441-4460 extension 1031.
Editor’s note: #2 is very highly recommended as having superb technical skills and work habits and interpersonal skills, all observed consistently and extensively in my simulation class (IMSE 458). E. Williams, Newsletter/Website editor.