SYSTEMS SIMULATION & SIMULATION MODELING

Computer simulation modeling can be used as a collaborative tool.  Before you disrupt your current operations or commit to a new capital investment, take advantage of computer simulation modeling. Our technical expertise in simulation modeling together with our background in systems design and problem solving allows us to leverage the value of these tools for our clients. Our simulation engineers have successfully completed hundreds of large scale models for customers in the automotive, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, package handling, health care, manufacturing, and other industries. We can customize each project to our customer's specific needs.

Our team of consultants have expertise in several commercial simulation software packages, including AutoMod, Demo3D, Witness, SIMUL8, ProModel, Quest.

Systems Simulation & Simulation Modeling can be used to validate the design of new operations by:

• Identifying potential design issues

• Clarifying team understanding of the workings of the new system

• Verifying the expected performance of the system such as throughput, efficiency, quality, lead times

• Refining the conceptual system design prior to implementation

Systems Simulation & Modeling can also be used for Investigation of ways to improve existing operations by:

• Pinpointing current-state system issues

• Fast evaluation of alternative scenarios

• Consideration of incremental improvement options

• Presenting and demonstrating ideas for final approval

We can develop a detailed simulation model of your facility which will identify your current bottlenecks, product sequence impacts, identify minimum and maximum requirements for buffer banks which can effectively reduce inventory. We use a number of Simulation Modeling Packages such as ProModel, Flexsim, Process Simulator, Witness, Simul8, eVSM, FlowPlanner. Nobody understands your system better than you. Jointly with you, we can understand and document the study objectives, develop a thorough understanding of the system, collect and validate data and operating parameters, develop a simulation specification which documents the model framework and data inputs, review with your team, construct a simulation model accurately representing the system being studied, validate the simulation results to "real world" performance of the actual system, conduct experimentation to meet the stated objectives, and finally prepare a report of recommendations and solutions.

Some typical studies conducted are:

• Throughput Capacity

• Downtime Impact Analysis

• Product Scheduling / Mix Impacts

• Bottleneck Identification and Resolution

• Manpower and Resource Capacity

• Material Flow and Logistics

• Storage Capacity

• Workforce Shift Stagger Analysis

• Color Blocking Analysis

• Dynamics of Workcells

• Vehicle / Carrier / Pallet Count Definition

• Buffer Size Sensitivity Analysis

• Control Logic Development and Testing

Major benefits of Simulation Engineering Analysis on your enterprise’s system  are:

• Developing a thorough understanding of your system including the dynamic aspects that are often difficult to understand and control.

• Improving communication and system understanding across departments as a diverse project team works together to develop the simulation model and drive the analysis.

• Prediction of the effects of planned system modifications on the operations prior to actually changing the system.

• Determination of the best proposed system concept prior to making capital investments.

• Prediction of how volume and/or product mix changes will impact operations.

• Documenting your system in terms of process function, data parameters and process flow.

• The simulation model is a living tool which accurately represents your current and proposed operations and can be used to test various scenarios for your system.

• Systems simulation can provide an animated 3D graphical representation of your system.  This improves the understanding of how the system will work and also provides visual feedback regarding potential problems or issues that may not be intuitive.

• With a user friendly interface for the simulation model we can provide you the ability to use the model to test various scenarios.

Some specific applications of our Systems Simulation & Simulation Modeling work are:

Plant Animation and System Visualization

A simulation model with a detailed 3D graphics is a very effective tool in the communication of ideas, plans and complex processes for making improvements in an enterprise. Our simulation models are developed in conjunction with a detailed, to scale 3D animation that accurately reflects the production floor. These 3D animations act as tools for many different individuals from varying backgrounds to view and quickly understand the production floor operations. By utilizing the simulation graphical model, constructive feedback can be obtained to improve operations and quickly achieve consensus on issues, problems and the situation.

Material Flow and Handling

Enterprises must meet expected and planned production numbers, reduce the in-house inventory and become more efficient in their daily operations. AGS-Engineering can assist you in all of these areas. We can develop a detailed simulation model of your facility which will identify your current bottlenecks, product sequence impacts, identify minimum and maximum requirements for buffer banks in an effort to reduce inventory. Our detailed model and reports will identify:

• Complete list of system parameters

• Uptime numbers for each major system on customer premises

• Customer’s system design capability

• Sensitivity studies for minimum and maximum carrier numbers

• Major bottlenecks in customer’s current system

• Experimentation reports on various operating scenarios

• Final report generation & presentation

Throughput evaluation determines the amount of time for conveyed material to pass through a system. A throughput evaluation can:

• Validate that the planned line-supply systems are able to meet the desired production volume.

• Provide routing and rebalancing solutions to resolve shortages in an active production environment.

• Identify line-supply system elements that require adjustments and improvements to meet anticipated production changes.

Fluid Flow Analysis & Real-time Material Tracking

Fluid flow analysis & real time material tracking determines where fluids, such as liquified metals or polymers are in the system and includes graphically showing where fluids are in the system and how they move through the system, identifying critical scenarios and system limitations, root-cause analyses of material shortages. To build or modify a fluid control system one must understand both the anticipated average performance as well as the uncommon scenarios that could arise. Our simulations can ensure that the system is capable of handling these events and is capable of providing visual representation of your tank and piping systems. In other words, you can watch the expected performance, tank levels, and additional activity of a planned system in a simulated environment. Typical simulations performed are metal melting and casting, plastic melting and molding.

Production Sensitivity Testing

Cost-Benefit Reporting shows how variations in production would impact the requirements for capital equipment and labor. Detailed Cost-Benefit Reports accurately predict the effects of changes in a production system and allow for appropriate planning, reduce cost associated with over-buying, reduce production losses due to under-buying.

On the other hand, our System Recovery Analysis determines the amount of time required for the system to recover from a downtime. Our System Recovery Analysis can recognize the consequences of downtime anywhere in your system and identify critical preventive-maintenance areas and high-priority repair points.

Warehousing and Logistics Optimization

We develop for our clients a plan to make a warehouse operate at maximum efficiency. Warehouse Optimization can optimize storage locations, delivery locations and docks, and size a future warehouse by accounting for production and demand variation. Determine how material handling equipment moves inside and outside the warehouse.

On the other hand, a Facility Traffic Analysis can determine effective shipping and receiving schedules, determine the best use of aisles, graphically show road network congestion issues, test and validate various vehicle flow concepts, identify bottlenecks, identify material delivery delays, provide essential data to make decisions to ease and control congestion on roads.

Lastly, we prepare your enterprise for product mix changes with a simulation. We ensure that your workcells will be supplied properly, and avoid shortages that could adversely impact production. Our simulation will help you strategically plan material handling manpower and ensure workloads that are active, stable, and not overloaded. We can determine your upcoming line supply requirements and how they convert into manpower, equipment, and their cost.

Utilization Assessment

Our simulations help determine the necessary manpower to meet production needs and shows how different shift scenarios affect utilization. A Manpower Utilization Assessment can evaluate responsibilities and optimal cross-training of equipment. AGS-Engineering will assist you to develop and improve personnel planning and scheduling through a dynamic simulation. We will then test and compare different manning options and schedules.

Secondly, using a Downtime / Uptime Analysis we can determine the required amount of equipment and show you how uptime availability affects your system. Using an Equipment Utilization Assessment we can identify equipment requirements, understand the sensitivity of the system to breakdowns and find critical repair zones. Our simulation can identify equipment requirements, help develop preventive maintenance schedules, identify critical downtime scenarios. Using mean time before failure (MTBF) and mean time to repair (MTTR) statistics, we can model your current or planned equipment just as it functions in reality.

Lastly, simulation modeling can be applied to almost any equipment utilized in a production setting, ranging from Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) to cranes. Using a simulation can show exactly how utilized your resources are, whether additional units are needed or whether you can safely remove a component.

Conveyor System Analysis

Todays production systems require a high level of complexity in their operational control systems to operate effectively. Using a detailed simulation model we can, by design, reflect the operational control algorithms needed to support both the operation of the systems as well as the lean production environment in which they are designed to run. A simulation model can be used to establish and validate the control algorithms needed. A simulation is the perfect tool to document the control algorithms as well as visually communicate the system operation. Our simulation tools can be used to insure that design intent is effectively communicated and implemented, start-up risks and start-up times reduced. They can also be used to develop a plan for conveyor controls to accomplish the desired material flow. A Control System Analysis will establish and validate the control algorithms needed by the control system designer.

Furthermore, a Conveyor Speed Determination will show what line speeds should be used and evaluate how increasing or decreasing that line speed will affect production, evaluate vendor options to determine the most cost-effective conveyor setup that is able to achieve planned production.

Thirdly, due to ever changing market conditions, your product mix requirements change significantly with time. You need to determine what needs to be done on the production floor to meet the needs most economically. AGS-Engineering’s simulation models can give you the answers you need quickly and efficiently. Whatever may drive the production changes you face, simulation is a planning tool to address these changes. Our accurate simulations will determine how to best meet your future needs such as budget planning, rapid throughput evaluation and experimentation to review proposed options, finding out how changes in production processes and volumes affect the system.

Lastly, any change to your production can impact the requirements of your capital equipment as well as labor. The impact of these changes may affect conveyor systems and part carriers, material handling equipment, labor utilization, tooling, etc. Our simulation models can allow you to examine the sensitivity of changes to your production floor systems. It will allow you to accurately predict the effect of the changes and plan accordingly for them rather than react haphazardly to the unanticipated. Additionally, sensitivity analysis of the production variables will help you optimize and correctly size your manpower and capital equipment investments. Our simulation modelling will reduce cost by not over-buying, reduce production loss by under-buying, determine how quantities of carriers in conveyance systems will affect production. On the other hand, a Carrier/Skid Sensitivity Analysis will determine the optimal number of carriers, skids, or pallets for optimal throughput and help adjusting them.

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