In the operational management of a production plant it is essential to understand the evolution of the situation in the short term, in order to timely implement the necessary interventions. This is particularly true for steel plants, often characterized by complexity and operational uncertainty.
ProdSim is a simulation tool that answers this need in an agile and effective mode, thanks to its intuitive graphical interface.
The aim of ProdSim is to provide a view of the situation that, starting from the current state, takes into account the evolution over a time horizon determined by the completion of the ongoing operations and by the activities already programmed through the active schedules.
Therefore ProdSim operates on a horizon that may include some shifts or – at the most – a few days of production.
ProdSim operates on the basis of three main inputs:
ProdSim is configured using a tool that allows to define the schema of the process, by describing all the relevant phases (either productive and logistic or of control), their sequence, the machinery possibly involved (e.g. ladles in the Steelmaking).
The actual stages of the process are defined by the cycle associated with the material to be produced, derived from the production order.
Additionally, ProdSim uses a calculation algorithm for the crossing times that is not based on standard average times, but on the specific characteristics of the ongoing process or operation, which are usually conditioned by the type of material to be produced.
ProdSim can be activated on demand or periodically, based on configurable intervals.
The scope of use of ProdSim can be:
Prodsim calculates and displays some KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that provide a synthetic overview of elements such as plant utilization coefficient, forecasted total and hourly production, etc., so as to allow calculating a theoretical OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness).
ProdSim is therefore a control dashboard that can be made available to all corporate executives, from Plant or Production Area Managers, to Department Managers and Foremen.
ProdSim has been designed to be highly configurable according to different plant configurations and operating rules of facilities and equipment. It interfaces with the production management systems existing in the plant.
ProdSim is part of the “Steel Solutions” suite developed by Iso Sistemi for the steel industry.