Enable The Digital Factory with ProModel

19 August 2021All

In any industry, process change is a fact of life. If you aren’t changing, your company is effectively perishing.

Customer demand is higher than ever, and they want more, which means companies need to offer more. However, that is not easy, and getting it wrong can mean disastrous results.

Using the collective wisdom of your organization to change your process can work, but you may not be getting the best, most cost-effective options for your process investment. The gist is, it’s better to know based on data than to guess based on past experience. Manufacturing companies have access to a lot of data, and ProModel solutions are a way to determine which data is meaningful and how to apply it in the decision-making process.

In the recent Applied Software webinar, “Enable the Digital Factory,” Todd Schmoock, Applied Software Senior Application Specialist, and Mike Jolicoeur, Director of the Autodesk Business Unit of ProModel Corp., discussed how applying easy-to-learn, modern workflows and a combination of ProModel and Autodesk technology can bring value to manufacturers:

Ensure that the new processes will install seamlessly with minimal change orders.
Ensure that the manpower, equipment and processes meet your current and future needs.
Be more agile in your process and explore more and better options easily and quickly.
Enable new engineers to be more productive faster.
Provide easy-to-understand data to stakeholders.
Be proactive instead of reactive.
Utilize modern technology to ensure smooth changeover and reduced operating costs for your new or current processes.

Jolicoeur said, “Two main questions are: *Will it fit*? which is answered by the Autodesk Factory Utilities, and *Will it perform*? which is answered by ProModel. There’s more to the layout than what [you might see].” He also explained what he referred to as the “four pillars” of discrete event modeling:
1.     Descriptive analysis
2.     Diagnostic analysis
3.     Predictive analysis
4.     Prescriptive analysis
The first two, descriptive and diagnostic, apply to layouts and processes that already exist. Basically, we are finding what’s wrong and applying ideas to improve the process.
The last two, predictive and prescriptive, can be applied to future layouts and workflows, as well as to new products running down existing lines.
“This makes it very easy for us to see the problems, understand the problems and work our way through them before we ever commit to purchasing equipment, assigning workers – and be confident that the system is going to deliver,” Jolicoeur said. “In reality, for a lot of customers, this is like finding gold. We can validate the process on software, in a digital environment, where it’s inexpensive, versus doing it on the floor where it’s disruptive and very expensive.”
Jolicoeur explained that, in essence, ProModel helps customers to virtually maximize throughput and productivity, increase resource utilization, see and eliminate bottlenecks, and minimize cycle time and right-size WIP (work in progress). It does this by predicting the behavior of variability, complexity, constraints, and interdependencies.

Jolicoeur offered an example of ProModel at work by demonstrating how to design, simulate and optimize a factory layout directly in AutoCAD.

“There are assets available to download so you do not have to create everything,” Schmoock added during the demo. “You just have to create the unique assets specific to your company, and it’s very easy to create the assets.”

In July, 2021, ProModel selected Applied Software as its first U.S. reseller of simulation modeling for systems integrators, suppliers and OEMs in the manufacturing, infrastructure, healthcare, and building industries. ProModel was founded in 1988 and is a Microsoft Gold partner. It received the Microsoft IWS/Data Visualization Partner of the Year Award in 2009.

To learn more about how ProModel can empower your company, contact Applied Software today and talk to an industry specialist.