Modeling and Simulation for the Purchasing Process: A Case Study in a Service Provider Company

Proceedings of The 7th International Conference on Applied Research in Management, Economics and Accounting

Year: 2022

DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33422/7th.iarmea.2023.07.123

[PDF]

Modeling and Simulation for the Purchasing Process: A Case Study in a Service Provider Company

Yoran Fernandes Lima, Luiz Gustavo Lopes Mascarenhas Couto, Renata Duarte Merlim, Luiz Melk de Carvalho, Flávio Henrique Batista de Souza

 

ABSTRACT: 

The strategic management of processes is a key factor in improving organizational efficiency. This study analyzes the purchasing process of a service provider company using Petri nets to simulate the flow of processes. The analysis focused on purchase requests (in Brazilian Reais, BRL) with values above BRL 5,000.00, which are the most significant amounts to the company. The simulation started with  a process model analysis called Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), which was employed for the delimitation of activities and identification of analysis points. Preti nets were then created to evaluate the number of resources and duration of activities. At the end of the simulation process, graphs were generated to identify bottlenecks related to the steps involved in the purchase process. In summary, a modelling and simulation structure capable of representing a complex purchasing process was developed to manage and optimize the purchase process of a service provider company. For instance, several bottlenecks were identified in the strategic parts of the process and their mitigation was key to improving the efficiency of the company.

keywords: Petri Nets, Purchasing Process, BPMN, Modelling and Simulation