A simulation study of automated guided vehicle dispatching

Abstract This paper reports a simulation study to investigate the relative performance of five automated guided vehicle (AGV) dispatching rules. The study found that distance-based rules are most effective while AGV attribute-based rules are least effective. Both AGV speed and the number of AGVs in use are factors critically affecting the performance of a flexible manufacturing system. This paper demonstrates that computer simulation is a viable tool for assisting FMS design and evaluation.