Multimethod Simulation Software The only simulation tool that supports Discrete Event, Agent Based, and System Dynamics Simulation

The European In-Depth Training took place in Paris on May 13-15, 2013. Five students from different countries took part in it, representing the following organizations: Consolidated Contractors Company (Greece), University of Bielefeld (Germany), The University of Nottingham (UK), Savonia University (Finland), University of Pardubize (Czech Republic).

Due to the small class size, the atmosphere during the training was friendly and students were able to get to know each other and us better. It is of upmost importance for us to take the time to answer all of the students’ questions. So, as usual, in addition to completing the training program, we did our best to provide them with expertise on their own simulation projects.



This was the last time a separate AnyLogic In-Depth Training was held. From now on, Fundamentals and In-Depth Training will always run back-to-back and students will be able to enroll in one class or both. With this change, students will be able to spend less money on the classes because taking both courses is now cheaper than before!

The next training sessions will be held in Chicago (US) this July. The next European training will take place in Paris in October. We are looking forward to seeing you in classes!

The AnyLogic Company, for the second year, invites all simulation specialists, business analysts, and researchers, who use AnyLogic in their work, to come after the WinterSim conference and share their experiences using AnyLogic software. The second annual AnyLogic Conference will take place on December 12, 2013 in Washington DC (USA) at a hotel situated right in front of the WinterSim venue.

The conference will feature case studies from various industries. The presentations will reflect the versatility of multimethod modeling with AnyLogic, covering all three simulation techniques featured in AnyLogic as well as many of their combinations.

With more than 100 simulation specialists from all over the world in attendance last year, the AnyLogic Conference 2012 was a huge success. Last year’s attendees pointed out that learning a wide variety of solutions for many different industries, based on multimethod modeling, was the main benefit of the conference.

“It was very enlightening. To me, the most interesting point was to see various applications from the different industries,” said Anette van der Merwe from Sasol, South Africa’s largest corporate taxpayer, employing 34,000 people. Sasol representatives attended the conference in 2012, but they did not present a project. This year, the company saw the conference as an opportunity to share their extensive simulation experience and they have already submitted a paper on modeling of rail operations.

Organizations that have already submitted their case studies include General Electric, Old Dominion University (USA), University of Southampton (UK), Technische Universität Darmstadt (Germany), Sasol (South Africa), Instituto Tecnologico Buenos Aires (Argentina), and others.
The newly introduced healthcare section will feature presentations from acclaimed health simulation gurus Nathaniel Osgood from MIT and Geoff McDonnell from the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Registration to the AnyLogic Conference is free, but limited to the venue size, so don’t hesitate to register to attend the conference now!

If you have an experience that you feel would make a good case study for the conference, please contact the Conference Manager.

Looking forward to seeing you in Washington DC in December!

Planning a huge airport terminal is a task that requires simulation modeling to complete the project successfully. A forum where airport planners gather is the ideal place to demonstrate the powerful alliance of the three simulation methods of AnyLogic software in action.

The 2013 Passenger Terminal Expo, the leading airport passenger terminal exhibition, took place in Geneva from April 9-11. This year’s exposition was recognized as the most successful one in its 19 year history. The event united more than 180 exhibitors with more than 3500 professionals. The visitors included company CEOs, architects, airport engineers, airline representatives, and many other professionals connected to the airport industry.

This was the second time AnyLogic Europe took part in this most prestigious forum on airport passenger terminals. Just like the previous time, many visitors, who wanted to discover new approaches to planning and managing passenger terminals, were interested in learning about AnyLogic. They were excited to see the case studies that were presented. One example was the Simulation of Passenger Flow at Frankfurt Airport, which allowed the operating company to increase the capacity of the airport to 5.5 million passengers per month.

The AnyLogic exhibit showed, once again, that the most important feature that attracted airport modelers to AnyLogic software is its ability to combine simulation of the individual behavior of each passenger with simulation of the more general processes of terminal functioning, like plane departure, passport control, security checks, and baggage logistics. This result can be achieved by using a combination of modeling methods, and AnyLogic is the perfect tool for using, for example, Agent Based and Discrete Event Modeling at the same time.

P.S. By the way, if you want to learn how to build airport models, please register for AnyLogic In-Depth Training which will take place in Paris in two weeks. Creating a model of an airport is an integral part of the program, which is aimed at those who already have experience working with AnyLogic.

AnyLogic North America recently exhibited at the very well attended INFORMS show in San Antonio, TX. It was a pleasant surprise to see the mix of Academics and Business attendees as well as the diverse tracks INFORMS provided to appease their quest for knowledge.

While many folks who already knew of AnyLogic stopped by our booth to say “hi” or challenge Scott Hebert (our North American Technical Consultant) on best practices; see picture, there were many professionals who are currently experiencing true business challenges and were looking to AnyLogic to help them solve their problems.

We heard two very clear messages from the attendees at the conference: no other simulation software company has better technology that “really works” and AnyLogic is the lowest risk. When customers visiting our booth are selling AnyLogic to other prospects at the booth, it sure does make attending the conference a great success.

We have a new video available on our website. It is complete screencast of Healthcare Dynamic Modeling Workshop & Training that took place in Sydney this February. The instructors were Nathaniel Osgood (University of Saskatchewan), Geoff McDonnell (University of New South Wales, Australia), and Andrei Borshchev (CEO at the AnyLogic Company).

The target audience of the event was skilled simulation specialists who wanted to improve their knowledge of simulation modeling methods and see some examples of their use. The program was dedicated to an in-depth overview of various methods in dynamic modeling, e.g. Agent Based Modeling, Discrete Event Modeling and System Dynamics. The workshop also included tutorials aimed at advancing participants’ modeling skills. The program involved AnyLogic application case studies which comprise examples from different fields, but mostly from the field of healthcare.

The videos can be found in the Education Videos section. You can also find there some of the presentations performed at the workshop in PDF.

And of course, all the videos available on our website are free.

After years in our Hampton New Jersey office, AnyLogic North America can proudly announce that we have moved to the Midwest and have a new home in the Chicago area.

You can find our new office at 3333 Warrenville Road, Suite 200, Lisle IL, 60532 USA (see the map).



Located in the suburbs, Lisle has all of the strategic resources essential to grow AnyLogic North America to new heights. We are a quick 40 minutes from the heart of downtown Chicago, 30 minutes from either O’Hare or Midway Airports, and in the center of a thriving high-tech corridor. So if you are ever in the Chicago area, don’t hesitate to come to our office and say hi!

P.S. By the way, we have not completely abandoned Hampton New Jersey office quite yet. We are having an AnyLogic In-Depth training there next week! So if you feel like improving your simulation skills, be quick to sign up before the registration is closed!

The book, AnyLogic 6 in Three Days: A Quick Course in Simulation Modeling, is now available as an eBook for Kindle! Now you can explore AnyLogic using your eReader, iPad, iPhone, Android, or any other gadget that supports this format.

Let me remind you that this book was created to help you learn about AnyLogic software, even if you are a complete newcomer to it. While reading the book, you will learn to build a manufacturing model, a warehouse model, a consumer market model, and an epidemic model. The guide also provides you with theory about simulation methods that can be used in AnyLogic (Agent Based, System Dynamics, and Discrete Event modeling). The book was released in October 2012, and it is already being used by several universities across the globe as a course book, including The United States Military Academy at West Point.

Get your edition on Amazon today!

The “Introduction into Simulation Modeling for Business Applications” workshop video is now available on our website. Dr. Andrei Borshchev, CEO of The AnyLogic Company, was the presenter.

This workshop program introduces the audience to different simulation modeling approaches and shows examples of their use. It also illustrates the various features of AnyLogic 6 and reviews several real-life problems from different industries that were solved with the help of simulation modeling. The program is specifically designed for those who are new to simulation modeling to explain and demonstrate why simulation modeling is important and what kind of problems it helps to solve.

The following case studies were discussed:

• Cell Phone Users Market Model
  
• Foam Concrete Plant Manufacturing Model
  
• Port Container Terminal Model
  
• Transportation and Supply Chain Model
  

The workshop was organized by the Graduate School of Management of St. Petersburg State University in collaboration with the AnyLogic Company. It was previously presented at several world known universities like the Vienna University of Technology (TU-Vienna), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of New South Wales (UNSW). It also ran successfully as a part of a MBA course at both the Stockholm School of Economics (St. Petersburg) and the State University of Management (Moscow).

It may seem like this video is only for newcomers, but that is not so. The workshop is actually very beneficial for simulation enthusiasts like you. With this video, it will be much easier for you to educate your friends and colleagues who are not aware of the great idea of simulation! So like it, share it, re-post it, and spread the word about it, and then visit our office to get a free cookie for it!

See the workshop videos here.

Paris in spring…what a wonderful combination! Perhaps that was the reason we chose this time and place for our Fundamentals Training. In Russia, it is still freezing, so it was a huge relief for us to escape to the ever-blossoming capital of France. We found ourselves in the 16th century quarter of Marais, where the walls breathe history. Is there something as exciting as this place? Nothing but learning simulation there.



Twelve trainees were carefully guided by us in their journey to the world of multi-method modeling. The program included the participants’ case studies (for example, hospital capacity model and electrical network maintenance simulation). Each participant had a personal session with the trainer to discuss the project they were working on.

The attendees represented such organizations as:

• Enel Distribuzione (Italy)
  
• Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (Norway)
  
• Stockholm County Council (Sweden)
  
• Ecole des Mines (France)
  
• University of Stavanger (Norway)
  

The next European training will be In-Depth Training in Paris, May 13-15, 2013 (yes, it’s Paris in spring once again!). Be sure to register for the training quickly to receive an early bird discount!!

Dynamic Modeling Workshop & Training took place on 18-22 February 2013 at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney. Healthcare was the main field of simulation modeling application discussed there. The workshop’s target audience was simulation modeling specialists, researchers, practitioners and policy makers who wanted to advance their knowledge in dynamic modeling methods and see some examples of their use. 42 people attended the event.

The workshop lasted five days and the program consisted of 2 parts. The first two days were dedicated to an advanced overview of modern methods in dynamics modeling. The last three days involved intensive tutorials aimed at developing the modeling skills of each participant so that at the end of the training each participant could build their own multimethod model.

The program also included AnyLogic application case studies which comprised examples from different fields, such as hybrid car technology adoption and railroad traffic regulation, but most of them came from the field of healthcare (one example is Hospital Acquired Infections model by Rosemarie Sadsad).

In the pictures you can see some example models that were discussed by the participants.





The workshop was organized by the Centre for Health Informatics at the University of New South Wales (Sydney) in collaboration with the AnyLogic distributor in Australia, Evans & Peck company. The instructors were: Dr Nathaniel Osgood (Associate Professor at the University of Saskatchewan), Dr Geoff McDonnell (Simulation Research Fellow at Australian Institute for Health Innovation, UNSW and Director Adaptive Care Systems), and Dr Andrei Borshchev (CEO of The AnyLogic Company and the developer of the AnyLogic Modeling Software). One of Andrei’s main activities was assisting the attendees in model conceptualization – answering their questions and giving recommendations on how to reflect their particular cases in AnyLogic correctly. Conceptualized cases were then discussed in class by the participants so that they could learn directly from real life solutions. The discussed cases included:

• Generic model of patients with cardiovascular disease;
  
• Maternity services distribution;
  
• Aboriginal outreach with regard to mental health.
  

Below you can find links to the presentations delivered during the workshop.

Download Agent Based Modeling Presentation
Download Multi-method Modeling Presentation
Eliciting Patient & Public Preferences in Health Care: The Use of Stated Preference Approaches

This year has started out with two back-to-back trade shows! At Promat 2013 – supply chain, manufacturing and distribution trade show – AnyLogic team showcased the demo models built to optimize the distributors/resellers network, average delivery time and terminal operations. Most of the feedback we got on the Adaptive Supply Chain, Flexible Manufacturing Supply Chain and Container Line models.

After Promat the team quickly moved onto the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, IMSH trade show in Orlando, FL. There we enjoyed many fantastic exhibit items (see below the photo of a guy “in red“). AnyLogic consultants presented to healthcare audience our Emergency Department, Spread of Epidemic disease and Disaster Impact models. John Yedinak, the new National Director and Scott Hebert, Technical Consultant had tremendous success connecting with well over a hundred potential customers a day.



Promat visitors are listening to Scott Hebert, Technical Consultant demonstrating a supply chain solution