Manufacturing Plant Simulation & Manufacturing Process Simulation

How Manufacturing Simulation Works

The need to simulate an existing or newly planned facility is fundamental to enable data-drive production and optimize manufacturing processes. When a new product is introduced, a virtual copy of it is developed in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools. After this, the CAD model then goes through a series of tests in the virtual environment to validate that it will behave and perform as expected. The data collected in the virtual world will then be used downstream to help define the product manufacturing planning and execution phases.

This exact Digital Thread can be applied to an entire manufacturing plant. A digital copy of the factory floor can be created, and simulation tests can be conducted to understand how well it will perform under different conditions. Any potential changes can be evaluated and analyzed in the safety of the virtual environment before being implemented in the real world. This concept of leveraging simulation models to design a manufacturing plant and understand its behavior is a critical aspect to allow companies to optimize processes, reduce costs and enhance competitiveness in today's dynamic manufacturing landscape. Manufacturing Simulation provides a safe and cost-effective way to experiment with various scenarios and make data-driven decisions.

What is Manufacturing Simulation?

Manufacturing Simulation is a technology-driven methodology that offers the ability to build, analyze and re-create real world manufacturing processes in a virtual environment. It can be used to address common challenges and serve as a powerful tool for increased efficiency. Through digital techniques, it allows users to review real-world scenarios in a risk-free virtual environment to analyze data, optimize processes and make informed decisions. There are three main reasons why enterprises may build a virtual twin of a facility and run simulation scenarios against it:

1. To Better Understand How a Facility is Currently Running

There are times when a facility is running production, but due to the complexities of processes and extensive number of variables and constraints in the system, it is very difficult to comprehend every moving part. This means that determining true capacity, identifying bottlenecks and generating key performance indicators may be limited or non-existent in some facilities. Running a simulation for a plant allows operators and managers alike to discover these crucial factors and receive better insight on how well they are currently performing.

2. To Run "What-If" Scenarios & Drive New Optimizations

These scenarios allow organizations to make virtual changes to a facility and evaluate those changes before any physical work is done. Due to the time, effort and costs involved in making physical changes, it is critical to ensure that the changes being made are correct for the facility and will meet the desired outcome. Doing this virtually is much faster, cheaper and easier leveraging a simulation model.

3. To Evaluate New Capital & Plant Investment

Robotics, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and other industrial equipment are continuing to change manufacturing. However, before moving forward with capital investment in these innovative technologies, an evaluation needs to be conducted on the specific improvements made and when that Return on Investment (ROI) will be reached. For example, in the evaluation of a new robotic cell, simulation tools can evaluate the improvement in the cycle times gained through the introduction of new equipment and learn how that will impact the overall manufacturing process for increased throughput on final products. The cost model for financial impacts, evaluating saved manual labor, increased electrical utilization, maintenance costs and increased revenue can all be metrics monitored and evaluated to provide a holistic report on the impact new capital investments will have on a facility.

Features of Manufacturing Simulation Solutions

Model the layout of your production lines, plants and repair sites
Run, evaluate and manage “what-if” scenario analysis
Identify and analyze bottlenecks, improvements and/or changes
Access 2D and 3D visualization of layout, resources and processes
Define and monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Visualize data and analytics (energy usage, throughput, resource utilization, etc.)
Apply optimization algorithms for intelligent model insights

Benefits of Manufacturing Simulation Solutions

Optimize processes and production cycle times
Improve productivity of existing production lines and facilities
Reduce investment costs when planning new facilities or production lines
Minimize manufacturing, inventory and warehouse costs
Identify and eliminate potential bottlenecks to maximize efficiency
Drastically reduce time needed to prepare and manage changes
Mitigate capital investment risks through early proof-of-concept
Optimize resource allocation and utilization
Enable smarter decision-making for operations and business

Engineering’s Expertise

Our team specializes in applying simulation methods to operational systems, processes, facilities and enterprises. Our consultants help organizations identify opportunities in order to strategically employ simulation to study manufacturing processes and systems, giving teams the information and tools they need to drive real improvements.