Decision Support for Factory Planning and System Design

The combination of simulation and optimisation for the planning, design and virtual validation as well as for the virtual commissioning of production systems are almost unlimited. Since the methods used are principally sector neutral, solutions for a wide range of applications can be offered. The connecting element is, in any case, the production logistics:

• Process design for production systems and shop floors: Analysis of structure and configuration-parameters; dynamic value stream design; simulation-based performance analysis; change and variant management.
• Manufacturing: Optimisation of capacity; utilisation and throughput; balancing of concatenated systems; buffer size dimensioning; minimising of setup times.
• Assembly: Optimisation of material supply; development of strategies for staff allocation; dimensioning of supply areas and intermediate buffers; failure management; variant management.
• Manufacturing logistics / operations logistics: Development and optimisation of material flow and distribution strategies; storage and stock dimensioning; sourcing strategies; optimised configuration of transport capacities; stock minimisation; tool transport; empties handling; material flow simulation; logistics planning, logistics optimisation.
• Optimised point of production: Overall optimisation considering concurrent sub-objectives; resolution of goal conflicts; considering stochastic and time-dependent influences; developing of strategies for dynamically re-configuring the point of operation according to changing conditions or the occurring of disturbances; selection and optimisation of optimal production concepts.
• Production control / advanced planning and scheduling: Strategies for sequence planning, order dispatching and job shop scheduling; robust rule-based dispatching for volatile, stochastic systems; job and order sequencing; lot size optimisation; resource scheduling and allocation.
• Virtual commissioning: Testing and optimisation of control strategies and software using simulation to minimize ramp-up times and warranty costs.
• Data Analysis / visualisation / integration: Integrating, conditioning and evaluating machine and operating data from different sensors and sources to support analysing and decision making as well as to provide input for prediction models.
• Vertical integration / business processes / engineering processes: Analysis and optimisation of cross-functional processes (business process management); holistic models including technical and organisational aspects; economic rating of hardly to quantify costs; activity-based costing.
• Holistic process optimisation: Optimisation of processes and systems for sustainability taking technical, economical and work ergonomic aspects into account.
• Training of employees: Visualisation of processes and work-flows for supporting the communication and marketing of concepts; training; testing of ramp-up scenarios.

Range of services:

• Simulation studies for planning and decision support
• Development of simulation models to be used by customers
• Virtual ramp-up of control systems