Using simulation to support integration of life-cycle engineering activities into an existing design process

Abstract

This paper discusses a case study in which process simulation was applied to support the integration of life-cycle engineering activities into the existing design process at a major UK manufacturer of capital equipment. we demonstrate the practical value of process simulation as a tool to support the specification of changes to a complex, concurrent engineering design process. The paper also liilustrates how development of a design process simulation model can provide significant benefit to companies, not just in terms of the numerical results of simulation analysis, but through the understanding of process behaviour which is gained through validating the behaviour of the model in different iteration scenarios.