News & Blogs
Stay updated with the latest news, insights, and expert blogs from Emixa. Explore industry trends, digital innovations, and company updates all in one place.
Digital Twins: The Key to Smarter Manufacturing and Logistics
In today's fast-paced manufacturing and logistics industries, every decision matters. Companies face labour shortages, rising costs, and increasingly complex production processes while striving to optimise resources and maintain a competitive edge. The pressure to innovate is higher than ever.
How to Cope with (Over)full Warehouses?
Effectively managing (over)full warehouses poses a significant operational challenge. Warehousing inherently involves complexities, and the current trend, particularly in areas like the hinterland of the port of Rotterdam and other strategic logistics hubs, is the accumulation of goods leading to warehouses reaching maximum capacities. This makes it harder to work efficiently and comes with its own set of problems. That raises the question: ‘how to cope with (over)full warehouses?’ This development is partly a consequence of the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis. During the lockdowns, dining out and in-person shopping were restricted, but online ordering of goods was unrestricted. This resulted in a high demand for various products, causing the logistical system to struggle to meet the demand. Businesses and retailers procured their merchandise well in advance, resulting in the saturation of all distribution centres in the hinterland of major ports and, more recently, inland terminals, with goods ordered ahead of schedule. If current demand and buying confidence were still as robust as during the pandemic, this might not be a major concern. However, the combination of inflation and soaring energy prices has made people more cautious about their spending. As a result, goods are staying in warehouses longer than usual, causing efficiency and optimisation challenges in warehouse management. While companies have limited control over macroeconomic factors, they can secure a competitive edge by concentrating on optimisations in their warehouse layout and/or operational methods, enhancing the flow of goods within their warehouses. Read on to find out how to cope with (over)full warehouses and the role Emixa can play in improving processes in warehouses. Practical problems in coping with (over)full warehouses The accumulation of goods confronts warehouses with various practical problems. Many warehouses do not actually earn their money through storage itself, but above all by repacking, labelling and distributing goods. As a result, any lack of turnover and the steady accumulation of products in the warehouse threatens their business model and profitability. Moreover, there are negative consequences for daily operations within the workplace. For example, warehouse utilisation of 90 to 98 percent means that warehouse teams are less efficient. Forklifts are required to lift goods to greater heights, and numerous products are positioned in challenging or harder-to-reach spots outside the racks. The result is that pickers and forklift operators need to cover more distance, resulting in less efficient routing and delays, further prolonging the storage of goods. Locating and gathering the correct items also becomes more challenging, contributing to delays in deliveries. Ultimately, there's a risk at the end of the chain where retailers may need to discard products that have been sitting on the shelves for too long. The aforementioned issues not only compromise efficiency but also have negative effects on employees. They find themselves working overtime more frequently and with less enjoyment. The likelihood of fatigue and overburdening increases, resulting in additional costs and staff shortages. Finding sufficient personnel is already challenging in the current tight labour market. In summary, no one benefits from an excessively high fill rate in the warehouse. The digital twin Evaluating potential solutions to enhance operational efficiency in a warehouse carries inherent risks. The proposed idea may succeed, fail, or require multiple attempts before achieving the desired outcome. Regardless of the result, these attempts consume valuable time. Utilising advanced simulation software mitigates these risks. A realistic, interactive digital twin of your warehouse allows for the virtual testing of ideas and scenarios in a digital replica. This well-established technology, initially used for virtualising production lines and entire factory setups, has been extended to optimise warehouses due to the close connection between production and logistics. Years ago, we applied this expertise to enhance warehouse efficiency. Altering walking or driving routes to improve the efficiency of pickers and expedite order completion? Changing the warehouse layout and pathways to facilitate easy access for forklifts to pallets and boxes? Optimising the existing space? With plant simulation, you can virtually experiment and compare multiple options, scenarios, and warehouse layouts. This way, you can quickly determine the most efficient working method. How Emixa can help Emixa can assist companies with warehouse management and optimisation. “Using the ‘digital twin’, true-to-life, complex simulations are possible. This enables our clients to maximise efficiency from their warehouse capacity,” explains Nick Peeters, PlantSim Expert at Emixa. “The expertise of Emixa in both the manufacturing and logistics/warehousing sectors, combined with our in-depth knowledge of the Mendix platform for developing specialist low-code applications for logistics and warehousing, make Emixa Industry Solutions and Emixa Applications Solutions a very valuable partner for our clients,” says Ruben van der Leer, Account Executive at Emixa Applications Solutions. “Thanks to low-code and integration, you can achieve a level of efficiency that would not have been possible a few years ago.” Most warehouses work with automation from various suppliers and a wide variety of partners within the logistics chain. The solutions and knowledge of Emixa Industry Solutions ensure that all those different cogs are represented in one system. In this way, they produce a dynamic layout of your logistics system, providing insight into the entire system. Because many logistics companies need to allow for growth in capacity, maintaining oversight is the most important thing. By tuning the performance of subsystems to one another, you avoid suppliers and partners sending you from pillar to post. One of Emixa Industry Solutions’ specialities is simulating warehouses and the systems they use. By simulating systems, potential improvements and different scenarios and solutions over time, your organisation can instruct employees and partners in detail to implement the necessary optimisations. Want to learn more about managing (over)full warehouses? For a smooth flow of goods, warehouses are partially reliant on economic factors beyond their control. Nevertheless, a well-designed, modern, and flexible simulation and optimisation system provides more opportunities to maintain service levels, control fill rates, and streamline warehouse processes efficiently. But it all begins with insight. Curious how Siemens & Mendix solutions, combined with our expertise, can support you in this matter? Please feel free to contact us for more information and expert advice.
The Benefits of Virtual Commissioning of Machines
As market demands for new products intensify, production companies face the challenge of adapting existing lines and commissioning new machines faster. Digital models offer a solution by allowing testing and validation even before the physical systems are installed. The key focus here is time savings, a critical factor in the highly competitive manufacturing landscape. The market's increasing demand for new products and variations shortens product life cycles, emphasising the need for reduced time-to-market. This time pressure extends to machine or line builders and high-tech suppliers, requiring fast delivery of new machines and adapted production lines. To meet these demands, companies are implementing complex systems and automation, leading to a growing presence of electronic components and control code. Before adding a new automation system to your manufacturing process, it's crucial to thoroughly check and test it. This ensures that the mechanical and electronic components in the control system work together seamlessly. Errors show up too late Discovering errors too late is a common challenge in the traditional commissioning process. The preparation for commissioning, involving checks and tests, is typically a physical procedure conducted on the actual machines. Consequently, commissioning occurs at the end of the development cycle, post-engineering and production completion. When errors surface at this stage, rectifying them often demands a substantial amount of time and financial resources. Identifying these problems earlier in the process could have led to quicker and more cost-effective solutions. And that's not to mention the extra pressure imposed by the client when the project is delayed. The client then cannot start production as planned and inevitably loses a lot of money. Another scenario involves adapting an existing production line, which requires a halt to make necessary component adjustments and conduct a test run. This interruption has considerable effects, causing production delays and significant time losses during testing. In practice, we see that many companies still follow this conventional approach, conducting machine or line commissioning on-site. This leads to considerable time loss compared to competitors who conduct digital commissioning tests. With a digital model, a digital twin of the production line or machine, companies can virtually simulate line adjustments or the integration of a new machine. Virtual commissioning In virtual commissioning, the written PLC code is linked to the virtual model instead of the physical one. This allows the validation of the entire line or machine operation at an early stage, with engineers visually observing the machine's performance. This visual aspect proves crucial in identifying minor errors or problems that might otherwise go unnoticed. If issues arise in the simulation, it is possible to quickly adjust the necessary elements within the digital model. This approach enables checking and adjusting the complete process control virtually before proceeding to the actual on-site construction once everything is in order. Digital models provide advantages for clients as well. They gain insight into the machine's eventual operation at an early stage, ensuring clear communication and refining client requirements early in the process. It also allows clients to train employees worldwide to operate the machine before the physical machine is built. Utilising the digital twin for designing, validating, and commissioning a line or machine has numerous benefits, including: Reduction in the total development time of each project Shorter commissioning period Reduction in total costs Importantly, this method not only results in significant time and money savings but also allows the existing line to continue production during the adaptation phase. It also ensures better scheduling and execution of the actual, physical adaptation of the line, minimising the impact on production staff. Get in touch Shifting to virtual testing and setup is a big move. At Emixa, we take a practical step-by-step approach. Curious to learn more? Contact us, and we'll provide further details.
Identifying Bottlenecks: Gaining Insights into the Production Process
Remaining competitive in a dynamic market, where customers demand fast, flexible responses at a competitive price, poses challenges for all manufacturing companies in the Netherlands. But the key to meeting these challenges lies in having insights into your production process, enabling you to rapidly adapt to new requirements. This raises the crucial question of pinpointing potential bottlenecks within your production. Manufacturing companies face a tough road ahead. The industry is fraught with uncertainty, both in the supply chain and with customers. Internal pressure on costs is increasing, partly due to global competition. As a result, companies are increasingly tailoring their production strategy to consumer demand. Yet, given the rapid shifts in demand, production must be able to respond very quickly. With a growing need for product variation, companies are compelled to significantly reduce the time it takes to introduce a new variant. Clear insights The trends outlined here present a significant challenge for production companies. In practice, the recurring issue boils down to a lack of insight—understanding how existing lines and layouts operate and their potential for flexible use or adaptation to meet the demand for a new product variant. This insight also emphasises the importance of visualisation. The demand for visual work, such as using 3D data, arises not only from the company itself to facilitate internal collaborations but also from customers and chain partners. The visual aspect has become a crucial element in communication and coordination between manufacturers and customers. Despite the inherent complexity, production companies must maintain flexibility to stay competitive in the market. Meeting customer demand faster and cheaper has become imperative. However, it's evident that classic tools like Excel or Visio are no longer sufficient for providing clear insight and overview. Production processes have evolved beyond their capabilities, with too many variables involved. These traditional tools have a significant drawback—they are built on basic assumptions due to technical limitations. Spreadsheets struggle to incorporate dynamic conditions like machine downtime and operator availability without high programming language skills. Meanwhile, management requires more detailed information than ever about the throughput of the new system. Virtual validation So, where does the solution lie? In one of our previous blogs, we highlighted the crucial role of seamless data exchange between engineering and production. Expanding on that concept, we are convinced that companies need to integrate digital tools into an increasing number of processes to effectively meet the demand for more product variations. These digital tools provide the capability to virtually validate production before implementing any changes. Many companies lack precise awareness of the issues within their current processes. We employ a step-by-step plan to thoroughly assess the current situation. This approach enables us to quickly pinpoint areas for potential improvements in existing lines. Whether it's for new investments in AGVs, an additional machine, or a new production line, we prefer to be involved as early as possible in the process. This proactive engagement not only contributes to achieving the most optimal and efficient production but also prevents misguided investments. Get in touch Interested in understanding how we would streamline the production process in your organisation? Contact us, and we'll be happy to share more with you.