FlexSim Reviews

Fully functional 3D simulation modeling tool

Comments: Large scale factory simulations for shipbuilding process optimization

Pros:

Functionality of teh hybrid model combining process flow detail and modularity with 3D representations.

Cons:

Difficult to find adequate help on advanced programming features and functions

A good general purpose DES simulation software

Comments: I have successfully used Flexsim to validate engineering design of production systems for many years. I think I extracted the most out of Flexsim because I could easily programmed to obtain what I needed. Flexsim introduced ProcessFlow more recently and this feature reduced the programming effort needed to implement logic in a model while centralizing the logic and facilitating the debug, particularly when working with mobile resources. I greatly appreciate this feature.

Pros:

I like the fact that the development license gives you access to all the features of the software so you don't have to buy extra add-ons to do your job. It has good basic objects and toolbox functionalities and great 3D capability. Lists where you put all sort of information and query it with SQL type command is very helpful in logic implementation. The conveyors library is also very easy to use and very powerful. All my projects exchange data from/to Excel and this is easy to do in Flexsim. The ability to import 2D layouts and 3D shapes from various external format is also useful.

Cons:

- Consistency. Almost all objects in flexsim have a UI with a general tab where you can set visual parameters and interaction with the object. However conveyor objects do not have this tab and it is very difficult to set the interaction parameters (protect object/show content/...) on these objects. - Help. The help system can be improved. Particularly the contextual help and programming help. - Fluid library. The built-in fluid library do not work well and is difficult to use to design fluid type system. For this reason we developed our own library some years ago. Now Flexsim offers a 3rd party module call FloWorks that works just fine for this purpose. I would appreciate to have FlowWorks becoming the built-in fluid library in Flexsim - ExpertFit. ExpertFit is a tool to help choose the proper statistical distribution and parameters to represent a process. The UI of the tool dates back from Window 3.0 age and would greatly benefits from a complete revamp.

My grad student was working on a hospital project using FlexsimHC.

Comments: Animation feature of the software was a good help when making presentations to healthcare professionals who don't know much about computer simulation.

Pros:

The animation features and functionality of FlexsimHC were very helpful for the project that we needed to test different scenarios for capacity analysis and scheduling of key resources.

Cons:

My grad student was creating a simulation model for a med/surg unit using FlexsimHC. There were some hidden bugs causing the problems of simulation runs and the tech support was not able to help fix...

FlexSim and ease of use

Comments: I only used FlexSim for teaching and I had a pleasant experience with it. I think FlexSim HC needs improvement. FlexSim added a lot of value to the course I was teaching. I would recommend making FlexSim and FlexSim HC training to academicians available for free even if the training are in other states. For instance, I was invited to a 3-day workshop of AnyLogistix software for free in IL state and I just needed to take care of my traveling expenses. This could help us to learning FlexSim and FlexSim HC much better and provide feedback on them.

Pros:

I liked its' ease of use overall. There is a lot of great features that are easy to use and follow in the 3D environment. Support is very strong to use the software. We used FlexSim HC for the first time this year. It has strong features that need some maturity though. It is particularly very good for teaching.

Cons:

I think the updates need to be progressing rapidly rather than making dramatic changes. It is very important to keep the compatibility with the prior updates of FlexSim. One of the issues I faced with FlexSim HC was the entries in particular property areas. For instance, I was entering percentages and locations in several property areas for patients to travel however these entries were disappearing later on. I tried this many times both on Surface Pro 4 tablet and my Lenovo laptop, neither one kept the information in the cells. I think this is a major issue particularly when you teach the software. I also believe more educational videos make the software look better since there can be a lot of issues that users might face and these educational videos can help them. FlexSim has this nice support feature.

General Program Review

Comments: It's been very enjoyable, and I found it to be very useful, though the learning curve we large at first

Pros:

I loved the 3D accuracy, the real time modeling capabilities, accurate timed models and cohesive integration. Given time you can put a ton of details and specifics into the program (given the right skills)

Cons:

Sometimes it'd crash or sometimes I'd have operators clipping through areas for no reason seemingly or simply not moving.

Great software big learning curve

Pros:

I appreciate all the functionality that FlexSim offers. You can do basically any thing you could possibly need in regard to simulation building. The customer support is excellent as well if you run into issues.

Cons:

This software takes a long time to fully comprehend since it's so powerful. I have been using FlexSim for about 6 months now and still feel like i'm scraping the surface with all there is to do with the software.

Excellent in the healthcare environment

Comments: I was able to use FlexSim to solve four scenarios in clinical environments.
The first successful project illustrated that changing a clinical process flow revealed improvements in patient outcomes and safety in a Labor & Delivery Department.
In another major project, building models in FlexSim in a future environment create opportunities for nurse managers to solve clinical work flows before opening the Miami Cancer Institute. Specifically we modeled Chemotherapy, Radiation Oncology, and the Laboratory.
We built models for an outpatient rehabilitation office that revealed the bottleneck occurred at the front desk with insurance verification time.
Our model of West Kendall Baptist Hospital imaging was used to justify hiring separate transporters because the model clearly showed that moving patients from the Emergency Department to imaging was the cause of higher than acceptable turn-around-times.
All-in-all, the FlexSim software provided a platform that was useful for management's effort to improve patient safety and performance.

Pros:

FlexSim allows the user to create meaningful patient movement studies when the model is built on a solid foundation of a process flow. Developing an accurate process flow in addition to having accurate time/movement data contributed to building models that represented the real world environment.

Cons:

The learning curve was a little steep, but to be fair, my style of learning, which relies on hands on repetition, helped make the software a little difficult to learn. Several of my colleagues were able to learn the software quicker than me.

Need drag and drop items that better reflect todays modern factory

Comments: Faster learning curve on some things but very challenging (close to impossible) for putting together very basic model on some very simple and common production lines.

Pros:

Drag and drop simplicity and learning curve

Cons:

The drag and drop items like the conveyors, machines, robots etc. are very basic and simplistic, NOT enough to create a workable model for any factory these days with some very, very serious programming, if at all. This was even more apparent during the 2 extra days I was there after the training to get help for my project. A very simple cell and a very simple machine from the factory I was working at was very challenging for the very highly knowledgeable mentor that I had and eventually I ended up not being able use the models we worked on on those two days. Basically the machines, conveyors, etc should be more close to the types of machinery that are used in todays automated factories. Some examples would be; - Robots having more than one gripper (for example; to swap the finished part on a machine with a raw part) - Machines with multiple fixtures (for example; while the machine is processing the second fixture can be unloaded and loaded, and when the part is finished the fixtures swap places) - Machines that are able to produce multiple parts at once (for example; machine has to wait for 4 raw parts to be loaded on its fixture to start machining them all at once) - Conveyors to have pallets on them (a very common type of conveyor where you have a limited number of pallets circulating on the conveyor in which the raw and finished parts are picked and placed) I would be more than glad to provide more details if needed.

Software FlexSim comments

Comments: Since 2015, the FlexSim Software license was acquired at the Escuela Superior de Ciudad Sahagún of the Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo, Mexico and, to date, more than 6 generations of students of the Industrial Engineering Education Program have learned, experienced and resolved case study in companies in the region. The results of the use of this impressive software involve the generation of students trained in Discrete Events Simulation, one of the most important topics of the Manufacture 4.0. On the other hand, research articles have been written that show the scope when developing simulation projects with the industry, as well as a book called "A first step to Simulation with FlexSim", developed with the purpose of guiding students, professors, researchers and entrepreneurs in the use of this wonderful tool. From the personal point of view and given that I know more than five simulation software, I could say that FlexSim is by far the best tool to do 3D simulation and with that, make decisions that guarantee the success of new thought proposed in production systems, logistics, services (hospitals, supermarkets, restaurants), among many others.

Pros:

Its 3D animation, its easy programming, the logic to build models and statistical results.

Cons:

The lack of diffusion of the software in the universities, as well as the organization of congresses or international events in Mexico.

Use of FlexSim software for education.

Comments: My experience with the use of FlexSim has been excellent. I am in charge of choosing the software in my University. Since 2013, we have chosen FlexSim because it is the best software for the teaching of Simulation.

Pros:

I like Flexsim software because it allows to build simulation models more adapted to reality than any other software on the market. In addition, it has a unique potential for the analysis of results as it is the case of the Dashboards that allows a visualization of statistics in real time.

Cons:

Since 2018, FlexSim has been implementing changes by combining the Process Flow logic with the 3D environment. These changes have been beneficial, but the understanding of the logic has diminished. I am aware that the tutorials are useful, but for people who are going to work with the software for the first time, it could hinder the teaching process. I suggest that at the beginning of the tutorial you include more explanations in 3D as it was before.

Experience Using FLexSim : 3D and processflow

Comments: My experience using FlexSim overall is really fun and interesting. eventhough sometimes i got crashed or errors but all the features that FlexSim has are varies greatly. User can represent their ideas with many kind of ways. There are lot of options user can choose to build the model whether use the processflow, the 3D directly, combining both or others. User can easily document the model with recording feature in FlexSim. 3D world in FlexSim is really smooth. it can represent the actual system specifically and precisely. User can easily control the size, the shape and the colour as the user wish.

Pros:

The processflow is the feature i like the most in FlexSim. Because processflow can describe detailed order sequences and represents complex actual system very well. User can easily create and manipulate the model trough processflow.

Cons:

Sometimes i got errors and my flexsim suddenly crashed or my model cant run. I run my model and it run smoothly and then i tried to re-run again but the model got errors. I tried to re-launch the software and re-running my model. it run smoothly again. And sometimes when i re-running again I got error again. I experienced this several times during creating my model.

Very important software for improvement

Comments: It help us in improving our production lines performance specially with big changes with investment
It help us to predict better and understand the production line problems

Pros:

Ease of use Plenty of learning sources Fast and reliable feedback on the software forum

Cons:

Some bugs when using 3d parts from other programs Optimization tool is not integrated

Great software with that lives up to its name of "flex"able and easy to use.

Pros:

Can apply to many different processes or types of operations. Great for showing manual and automation processes that work together. Easy to use and train new users on the software. The flexibility of the software has allowed me to show automated processes with manual processes, part movement, and part flow all at the same time. Ability to show how things interrelate on a larger scale.

Cons:

Would like to see more drop and drag pre-coding for different types of machining processes. The software is easy to adapt to a wide range of processes and simulate the movement of product however it would be a good feature to have some pre-loaded or base processes to select from and build off of.

Nice Process Simulation Software Tool for Healthcare system

Comments: I have been using FlexSim for 3 years and impressed with the progress of their development team that kept coming up with new features that make the software getting better. We got a number of compliments from the project team when we use FlexSim to show and discuss our concept to drive the process improvements.

Pros:

FlexSim software provides very nice 3D animation that can be presented to non-software technical stakeholders (e.g. the clinical staff and physicians). The time to develop the model is not too long. The software also give you the flexibility to customized the model in the way you like. Dashboard function is very good. Customer Support is excellent with quick turnaround time. The actually help you build and debug the model if you reach out for support. Price is good comparing to the competitors.

Cons:

It take time for new employee to learn about the software. Debugging is not very easy for new user too.

Great Sim Tool

Comments: Modeling various configurations of material handling and packaging systems in FlexSim has been enormously helpful to the product development arm of my organization in designing new products and systems before we actually have to build them.

Pros:

I like Flexsim's flexibility in modeling material handling processes of all kinds and use experimentation to rapidly compare multiple scenarios. Its intuitive to use and easy to run.

Cons:

I would like if there could be more variability in some of the robotic and ASRS objects available within the experimentation tool, though there ways around this, so small complaint.

Flexsim for manufacturing facilities planning course

Comments: I have used several discrete events simulation packages over the last 20+ years, and Flexsim is the most powerful yet easy-to-use software for plant layout simulation I've encountered.

Pros:

Power, flexibility, freedom to customize applications for beginners through pros, legacy models not lost, statistical analysis embedded, excellent customer support, and large, active user group willing to collaborate and share.

Cons:

No drawing app included to generate new 3D entities. However, does accept a wide variety of formats from a multitude of CAD packages.

One product , Two Faces

Pros:

FLexsim is a double-faceted product. Technically it allows us to validate and remove technical risks on flows. Commercially it is a great support for flow presentation for our client

Cons:

The lack of comments and tutorial on the handling of the process flow and high level programming (difficult to know all the objects and their method

Principal Lecturer

Comments: As a member of HE I have found the software extremely useful for teaching DES to 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students. The software is easy to get to grips with and the students really enjoy using it.

Pros:

User friendly interface Easy of data analysis Visualisation

Cons:

The library of 3D models, it may help if there was multiply 3D models for a given library feature ie 3 or 4 processor 3D models. Possible need more walk through tutorials ie on financial side of dashboards

FlexSim simulation software gives great analytical capability

Comments: I have seen FlexSim used at each of my employers, and it has been an analytical powerhouse for identifying problems and assessing solutions.

Pros:

- Easy to learn and build models without extensive simulation experience - Capable of simulating complex and unique systems without significant effort - Fully customizable interface

Cons:

- The quantity of sample simulations was lacking, but has been improving recently.

Excellent Customer Support

Comments: Having a little bit of programming background i find flexsim easy to use and appreciate the level at which i can customize my model with custom code.

Pros:

I attended their training which was excellent. I particularly appreciate the customer service. When i post on the forum i get same day responses. Flexsim is a great piece of software with an insane amount of capability.

Cons:

There is still a few bugs. Like when the model is running panning the 3d view is glitchy. The overall interaction with 3d space is clunky but once you learn it its not too bad.

Honest Review

Comments: We are able to determine where bottlenecks of conveyance is inside the plant prior to implementation, resolve them, and then launch with less issues.

Pros:

The ability to program the software to work in any industry. The capability of being universal yet customize to be very specific is fantastic.

Cons:

There are some limitations that would seem to be easy to overcome, like only using rectangles for control areas. Granted, rotating them is possible, but still leaves room for improvement. It would also be nice to be able to import AGV network paths.

FlexSim software Review

Comments: Overall the software is well presented and easy to understand and programming the model.

Pros:

The software is easy to understand and the picklists help a lot in the programming. Also, the 3D library software is very good. With virtual reality, it is possible to immerse in the model and see the details of the operation.

Cons:

The dashboards sometimes are a little bit confused to construct.

Great software, but with so much updates

Comments: I use flexsim in many Projects, but The constants upgrades and The license cost are a sérios problems

Pros:

Very easy and powerful to use. The orientation and The modeling are very simple

Cons:

The updates that changes The modeling. For example, The statistic collector. On flexsim, you need contínuos study from The software, and The software license os too expensive

My feedback o Flexsim

Comments: I have always been bad at software and for the first time I feel I can model something with ease. The tech support is great. Our reps are super helpful I talk to them very regularly and they clarify a lot of questions that make users learn a lot. Correcting a few bugs like conveyor bugs might be helpful because sometimes we end up rebuilding the model because we cannot tell whats going on.

Pros:

Ease of use, Tech support

Cons:

Some bugs - conveyor, decision point bugs

An easy and practical tool

Comments: FlexSim is interesting compared to other tools because it is easy to use especially for Busines School students (non-engineers). Students appreciate a lot to simulate diffirent types of problems (production, transport, supply chain, ...). I recommend this software.

Pros:

FlexSim is very easy to use. The visual is very interesting with the 3D but also the posibility of RV.

Cons:

Lack of detailed training support with logical progression.