Using Predictive Simulation to Design Site Masterplan at Royal de Heus

Royal De Heus is an international animal feed supplier providing nutritional products to support animal health and performance. To support the creation of future production facilities in Asia and Africa, they were seeking to create a layout masterplan. This included developing a base design and an alternate design to compare performance of the entrance, weighbridge, gatehouse and parking area.

Lanner’s parent company  Royal HaskoningDHV was selected to create a predictive simulation model of the proposed plans using WITNESS Simulation Software. WITNESS, Lanner’s flagship software, lets analysts create feature-rich models that allow users to test choices in a risk-free, virtual environment.

Within WITNESS, a model was built directly over the site layout plan. Then, using real-world site data, the performance of the design could be tested. A second model was built over the alternate design, allowing results from the two proposed layouts to be compared. The outputs of each model provided insights into bottlenecks, process constraints and other design considerations.

Results

The use of predictive simulation modeling makes it easy to see and understand the impact of proposed changes in the entire end-to-end process, often uncovering unintended consequences. By exposing potential challenges or opportunities early, decisions can be made with confidence.

For example, analysis showed bottleneck issues at the site entrance. This would have impacted overall site performance and throughput if not identified during the design stage. By identifying issues early, the site plan supports decreasing truck throughput time, decreasing delays in dock processing and increasing overall site throughput capability.

Also, while the masterplan will serve as a basis for future facilities in Africa and Asia, each facility will require some adjustments based on local requirements. By developing a flexible, dynamic simulation model, the masterplan can be easily updated for specific site requirements, with the assurance that the plan will perform as intended. Analyzing the performance of the plans in the design stage, before resources are committed, will also ensure a  greater return on investment based on CAPEX savings.