BN Where Are the Production Bottlenecks? Identify current and future constraints and determine how demand, product mix, downtime, and scheduling affect throughput.
CP How Much Capacity Is Available? Determine whether existing equipment and resources can support higher demand, new products, or future production requirements.
ROI Do We Need Another Machine? Compare equipment, staffing, scheduling, and process changes before committing capital to new machinery.
PS Can We Meet the Production Schedule? Test production plans against actual capacity, routing, changeovers, labor constraints, downtime, and material availability.
HR What Staffing Level Is Required? Evaluate shifts, skills, breaks, shared resources, and alternative staffing strategies against throughput and cost.
WIP How Much WIP Is Really Necessary? Analyze buffers, queues, inventory policies, Kanban levels, and material flow to reduce WIP without constraining production.
AGV How Many AGVs or AMRs Do We Need? Simulate AGVs, AMRs, forklifts, conveyors, and routes to determine fleet size and eliminate transportation delays.
MIX What Happens When Product Mix Changes? Test high-mix environments with different SKUs, routings, BOMs, batch sizes, priorities, demand patterns, and work orders.
AUTO Will Automation Improve Throughput? Validate robotic cells, conveyors, and automation before installation and identify downstream constraints before deployment.
Bottleneck & Constraint Analysis Identify not only where a bottleneck occurs, but the conditions contributing to it. Automatic bottleneck identification Constraint and contributing-factor reporting Equipment-change and automation-feasibility analysis Scenario comparison and KPI reporting Integrated costing and ROI analysis
Manpower Optimization & Labor Planning Evaluate workforce requirements and labor policies as part of the production system. Optimal manpower levels Shift schedules and operator assignments Cross-training and shared-resource strategies Breaks, vacations, holidays, and absenteeism Skill-based routing and labor constraints
Production Scheduling & Predictive Analytics Compare plans, production sequences, and work-order priorities before releasing them to the operation. Automatic schedule generation and optimization Dynamic production scheduling Schedule-comparison and deviation analysis Work-order sequencing and dispatching AI-assisted forecasting and proactive analysis
Capacity Planning & Growth Projection Understand current capacity, future constraints, and the operational impact of demand growth. Current-capacity and constraint analysis Demand-growth scenarios Equipment and facility expansion planning Resource and labor impact analysis Capital-investment validation before deployment
High-Mix Manufacturing Simulation Software Simcad® supports both high-mix, low-volume and high-mix, high-volume manufacturing using data-driven models that can represent complex product routing and production requirements. Detailed part-routing import Multi-level subassemblies, subcomponents, and detailed BOMs Tooling and manpower constraints Work orders and detailed cell implementation Production sequencing and priorities Kanban pull systems and material handling SKU-specific routing, cycle times, and process logic
Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma & Continuous Improvement Model the variability and operating rules that influence Lean performance, including failures, repairs, changeovers, scrap, rework, Pull systems, and inventory policies. MTBF, MTTR, downtime, and changeover analysis Scrap, rework, and process-variation modeling Pull systems, reorder triggers, Kanban sizing, and safety stock Line-load leveling and schedule adherence OEE, efficiency, Value Stream Mapping, and Kaizen analysis Material-flow, congestion, and spaghetti-diagram analysis
Dynamic Value Stream & Process Flow Analysis Use data-driven maps and flow visualization to analyze WIP, cycle time, process dependencies, resource utilization, and improvement opportunities.
Material Flow & Spaghetti Diagram Analysis Visualize movement, congestion, travel paths, and handling activity to improve layout, reduce travel, and eliminate unnecessary material movement.
Discrete-Event Simulation Model queues, machine cycles, arrivals, failures, repairs, operators, changeovers, routings, and shared-resource constraints.
Continuous-Flow Simulation Represent processes whose state changes continuously and combine flow behavior with discrete production events where needed.
Data-Driven Simulation Connect ERP, MES, databases, sensors, and operational data to drive simulation behavior, forecasting, and digital-twin applications.
OTF On-the-Fly Modeling Modify model logic, data, and operating conditions quickly without rebuilding the entire simulation.
DATA Enterprise Data Connectivity Integrate databases, ERP, MES, production systems, equipment, sensors, and external data sources.
OPT Integrated Analysis & Optimization Combine modeling, KPIs, experimentation, forecasting, and optimization in the same environment.
3D 2D, 3D & VR Communicate system behavior visually while preserving the analytical depth needed by engineers and operations teams.
AI AI-Assisted Analytics Use AI and predictive analysis to identify trends, compare alternatives, and improve operational decision-making.
DT Simulation to Digital Twin Extend the same model from design-stage simulation to connected operational digital-twin applications.
Improving Manufacturing Practices with Dynamic Simulation Explore how dynamic simulation supports better manufacturing planning, operational improvement, and decision-making. View White Papers →
Interactive On-The-Fly Simulators Learn about the benefits, advantages, and applications of interactive simulation and on-the-fly model analysis. View White Papers →
Manufacturing Models & Images See Simcad® models for production lines, automated systems, robots, AGVs, material handling, and digital twins. View Manufacturing Models →