D&K Engineering Gains a Competitive Edge Using WITNESS Simulation

APPLICATION: Engineering Process Optimisation

VERTICAL: Manufacturing

SECTOR: Product Development and Manufacturing Services

BENEFIT: D&K Engineering are enhancing their reputation by demonstrating the most efficient processes available for manufacturing their clients products, while providing accurate and competitive price models.

D&K Engineering are enhancing their reputation by demonstrating the most efficient processes available for manufacturing their clients products, while providing accurate and competitive price models

Background

D&K Engineering delivers development and manufacturing services throughout the product life cycle for industrial, medical, printing and military markets.

A typical project begins with a feasibility study to deliver an accurate production cost estimate. This process defines the overall cost per unit based on simulated resource and material requirements throughout prototyping and mature production. D&K Engineering utilizes Lanner’s WITNESS simulation platform to rapidly and cost effectively conduct an accurate initial process study.

D&K Engineering uses WITNESS to cover the entire product lifecycle from kit delivery, assembly and testing, through to reworking. By incorporating every detail, through to overhead functions such as breaks, meetings, life testing, Material Review Board (MRB), and Quality Assurance (QA) practices, D&K Engineering estimates they will be able to instill confidence in their customers and build the trust necessary for longer term partnerships.

WITNESS is also used to simulate various production scenarios in order to optimize the final processes and resource utilization. By determining the minimum amount of labor and machines necessary for production to schedule, D&K Engineering are able to offer very competitive pricing to their customers without the risk of quality or production issues.

Following the study, a Product Roadmap document is produced detailing[AH3] the cost per unit, Bill-of-materials (BOM) cost, labor costs per unit, the number and type of direct labor required and the manufacturing floor space requirement. This document contains information obtained through using WITNESS to simulate realistic requirements by modeling the complexity, randomness and variability experienced in real life production jobs.

Using Witness, Excel and CAD programs, a five-scenario Roadmap and CAD factory layout can be created in about 40-60 hours for a typical fifty process production flow chart. The speed and accuracy of this delivery is greatly valued by D&K Engineering’s customers.

Results

Jim Sykora, PE, Senior Mechanical Engineer, D&K Engineering comments, “The power of WITNESS modeling, when used with our Excel and CAD programs, allows D&K to make these predictions and present the results in a simple format that enhances the decision making process.”

"Using WITNESS and Excel as the primary interface to WITNESS, D&K engineers can quickly and accurately determine and optimize manufacturing requirements. These tools not only help our existing customers, but also assist D&K in building its reputation and gaining new business."