For example, the Centre for Food Robotics & Automation (CenFRA) has saved thousands of pounds for pork pie maker Vale of Mowbray by carrying out an analysis of a planned expansion project using bespoke discrete event simulation.
It helped the company decide how new kit and a site extension would be integrated with existing production.
CenFRA created an interactive 3D computer model of the proposed factory layout, which included technical details on the existing production equipment to evaluate and quantify the benefits and implications of integrating new equipment on a ‘virtual scale’.
From numerous ‘what if’ scenarios CenFRA was able to determine that the intended plan would only be capable of handling a year’s increase in production. As a result new plans were created and evaluated using the same simulation methods, together with additional analysis, which included set-up, maintenance and break times.
CenFRA was able to confirm that the revised plan would indeed be capable of handling a substantial increase in capacity for the foreseeable future.
In another example, Roberts Bakery used modelling and simulation to resolve a problem of how to keep production going while work was carried out to expand the size of its finished goods store and the number of despatch loading bays.
Roberts selected the Class software tool developed by Cirrus Logistics specifically to help warehouse managers design and run their warehouses.
Several issues were quickly identified and their impact measured, including the increased distances of travel within the warehouse operation and increased congestion at certain periods during the development. This enabled Roberts to determine how many staff it required on each shift to prevent a reduction in service.
Roberts also used Class to assess the impact on its warehouse operation of the new baskets being rolled out across the industry, which will reduce the number of loaves packed per basket from 12 to 10. The concern was that this could lead to a substantial increase in volume movements and picking requirements. In the event, however, the model proved this would not be problem.
“The Class software allowed us to test some complex warehousing scenarios and will help us to maximise the potential operating space in the dispatch area during each phase of the building work,” said Mark Owen, director of logistics at Roberts Bakery.