The project implemented for Fater Spa created a digital twin of the warehouse to validate technical solutions and optimize processes, supporting strategic decisions.

The company, which is in the process of expansion and renovation, is planning to implement a new plant for the logistics process (automated warehouse, picking system, and servo system). At this stage, it is necessary to define the performance indicators of the facility and then make explicit the success criteria, in order to be able to navigate during the implementation phase.

In addition, intra-logistic flows are complex systems during which data from different touch-points with different business units must be analyzed to avoid implementing solutions developed on sketchy assessments that are poorly contextualized and unrepresentative of reality.

Thus, there is a need to understand how to maximize the plant’s degree of efficiency and investment in infrastructure and technology. It was decided to develop a virtual simulation model of the entire plant to be able to analyze and understand the needs in advance, assess the complexities and validate the technological solutions to be implemented in the plant, optimizing the investment project under consideration from the point of view of time, cost and quality of execution.

The solution subsists in the development of the warehouse digital twin. The purpose is to validate the suitability of some technical solutions (robots, AGVs and automated pocking systems) and to carry out simulations of processes immediately upstream and downstream of the production activity, as well as integration with existing SCADA and WMS (Warehouse Management System) systems.
The Digital Twin, thanks to the ability to perform endless simulations, is able to enable the identification of the most suitable configuration by supporting decision making at the investment stage.

Digital twin of the warehouse to enable simulation of operational parameters (productivity, speed of execution, level of service delivered) and physical parameters (e.g., footprint, space, internal logistics) of different automation solutions (pertaining to the Industry 4.0 theme such as collaborative robots, AGVs and advanced supervision/planning algorithms).

Discrete-event simulation model for comparative analysis of alternative scenarios of a warehouse and intra-logistics system (in terms of layout, digital technologies, productivity and investment costs).

The creation of a virtual simulation model to implement an automated warehouse. The solution is able to optimize the design of the facility, the subject of the investment, maximizing the return on investment, minimizing costs and security and business continuity risks.

The realization of a digital twin model of the company’s entire intra-logistics system, which will also be used as a control system, providing the ability to monitor custom pallet setups in real-time, test and validate plant management and planning algorithms with a view to continuous improvement.

The implementation of a solution that can serve as a tool for operator training: the project enabled the formation of an in-house team capable of implementing and managing digital twins of complex logistics processes, introducing into the Engineering/Innovation Technology department the skills and tools needed to carry out simulation activities of logistics flows, warehouses and all the automations and software that manage these assets.