CUSTOMIZATION CENTER DIGITAL TWIN- CC –TWIN
COMPANY NAME
Fater Spa
PROJECT TITLE
CUSTOMIZATION CENTER DIGITAL TWIN- CC –TWIN
SIZE AND LOCATION
Big enterprise, Pescara
partners
Politecnico di Milano
Siemens
COMPETENCIES USED
The problem
Fater Spa operates in the market for personal absorbent products and detergent products for fabric and household cleaning.
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 guide during the implementation phase.
In addition, intra-logistic flows are complex systems during which one needs to analyze data from the different touch-points with the different business units, to avoid implementing solutions developed on sketchy assessments that are poorly contextualized and not representative of reality.
Thus, there is a need to understand how to maximize the degree of plant 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.
Benefits
- Implementation of a simulation model of the company’s logistics system functional to support decision-making during the selection of alternative investments
- Improvement of the process of management, monitoring and control of picking, storage and delivery activities of the company’s logistics department.
- Introduction of a suitable methodology with which to manage the design and evaluation phase of technological investments in intralogistics.
- Increasing internal skills in terms of simulation applied to logistics flows.
The solution
Technologies
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 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 the 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.
Impacts
- 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 in real-time the setups of customized pallets, test and validate the algorithms of management and planning of the plant with a view to continuous improvement.
- Implementation of a solution that can serve as a tool for operator training: the project has enabled the formation of an in-house team capable of implementing and managing digital twin 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.
