Quantitative assessment of service delivery process: application of hybrid simulation modelling

In order to face the low cost countries competition and to be more competitive on the market many manufacturing companies are enlarging their offer with customized services. While incorporating such solutions into their portfolio they face some complexities while managing the intangible service of the product. In light with this, the following paper aims at identifying a suitable method for the quantitative assessment of the service delivery process in order to: i) support the optimization of the existing process during the usage phase; and ii) to collect useful data and performance indicators to support the design phase of the service process. To reach the objective, literature concerning existing methods was reviewed. Through the analysis, hybrid simulation modelling (agent based modelling and discrete event simulation) was identified as a suitable approach. A validation case in power and automation industry is presented. It sheds the light on the benefits of the hybrid modelling but also on the complexities to be managed.