Wire production batch / lot size optimization

Enamelled copper wire is used for eletromagentic applications. It thus has a wide range of applications and is of great importance, as well as it offered in many different configurations (diameter, enamelling configurations, spool dimensions, etc.). Enamelled copper wire is produced in a two phase production process. First, the wire is drawn down to required […]

53% ROI: Barge transport simulation study

Following up on my recent article on simulation of barge transports I summarize the financial impacts and benefits of a barge transport simulation study. I show that a reduction of required barge pool capacity by just one barge results in a long-term (10 year) annual 53% return on investment of simulation study expenses. This means […]

Simulation of barge transport systems

Barge transport accounts for more than $35 billion of US GDP and accounts for more than 300,000 jobs in US economy. Economic activity in barge transport logistics is forecasted to grow. This is due to several significant advantages of barge transport: In this article I explain how simulation can be used to improve economic results […]

Commercial simulation project failures

Discrete-event simulation has been around for a long time. Growing computation power has aided the application of discrete-event simulation in recent years. This is especially true with regards to visualization and animation of the models themselves. However, the method, related procedures, the process and software related to discrete-event simulation was also applied 20 years ago. […]

Job shop scheduling challenges

Mathematical programming is a powerful tool for supply chain management and production planning. It can also be used for job shop scheduling, next to other popular application domains such as network design and pricing. Application of mathematical programming to job shop scheduling can have major positive impact on a business but you should be aware […]