Simulation for sustainable manufacturing
23-01-2020 | Posted by Principia
Less than a month ago, the UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid expressed the urgency of a global energy change. But the outcome was, clearly, vague and lacking ambition. Almost simultaneously, the European Union issued a New Green Deal, trailing the US, which offered a number of diffuse measures that generate almost more misgivings than optimism.
As a result, society fears a lack of commitment by governments to apply concrete solutions and looks at corporations to do it. Simulation software thus becomes an ally of companies to create and improve more efficient products and processes, focusing in the new paradigm.
“Businesses are seen as an effective force for change,” said Andrew Wilson, the London-based executive director of purpose at Edelman, which publishes the Trust Barometer. “Employees’ expectation that prospective employers will join them in taking action on societal issues (67%) is nearly as high as their expectations of personal empowerment (74%) and job opportunity (80%). What’s more, over three quarters (76%) say they want CEOs to take the lead on change instead of waiting for government to impose it – a significant, 11-point jump on last year.”
Independently of the politics of the management of climate change, industry feels compelled to respond with new products and processes for a very aware society who knows that, even if the energy costs decrease, energy consumption increases (almost 2% in Spain in 2018), returning a negative balance for sustainability, all due to the lack of controls on the 2030 goals.
This places the onus on industry and the efficiencies it might incorporate, which requires innovation. Innovation is needed in lighter materials, reduced consumption, intelligent technologies, and cleaner and more efficient processes.
Here is where more remains to be done. Simulation and, in this case, the 3DEXPERIENCE software of Dassault Systèmes, allows companies to adapt efficiently to changing market needs and to disruptions in the supply chain, to plan digitally and to increase production with total traceability.
There are multiple advantages, such as the possibility of sharing and reusing best practices in different sites. Even the most complex manufacturing logistics can be optimised, reducing inventory costs, improving equipment efficiency, and increasing global production.
We know that companies will be sustainable only if this is linked to improved results and efficiency in economy and energy. Thus, it will depend on key tools to allow optimising the response to the needs of the market, the company and, why not, social demands for action.
Benefits of sustainable manufacturing
Dassault Systèmes and the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform have introduced Ready to Make, a new solution to help companies optimise the planning and management of manufacturing operations and to create a virtual environment for designing continuously improving processes to face the complex challenges posed by manufacturing at the local and global scales.
The main benefits are:
- Increasing forecast accuracy and sales income
- Improving delivery times
- Reducing costs without compromising quality
- Increasing the efficiency of engineering in manufacturing
- Managing manufacturing efficiently
- Reducing inventories more than 25%
- Improving team effectiveness by more than 22% and production gains by more than 25%
- Fostering continuous improvement and implementation of better practices at a global scale
At Principia we are engineers specialised in consultancy and simulation software. If you want to know more about this solution or would like a demo about the possibilities offered by the Platform, contact us.
