5 important DYNAMIC FUTURE projects: digital twins for transport, operating theatres, and even warehouses
During the last two decades, during which we have been operating in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, fundamental changes have taken place in absolutely all businesses. Significant trends include the transformation of industries, globalization, and digitization, as well as an increase in foreign investment and greater specialization in more technologically advanced industries. One of the tools that help establish strategic changes is digital twins. Here’s a brief look at some of the projects where we’ve taken advantage of digital twins and predictive simulation.
Brno exhibition grounds and warehouse consolidation
The Moravian metropolis decided to build a new multi-functional hall, namely on the area of the exhibition grounds, a significant part of which was used by Veletrhy Brno (Brno Trade Fairs) to store material necessary for organizing various events. In 2019, DYNAMIC FUTURE was approached by INVIN with the aim of conducting a logistics audit, and designing a new, large warehouse.
“In twenty-one large and small warehouses there was everything from button batteries to sets of dishes, electronics, twelve-metre beams and carpets, to stand structures and connecting material,” recalls Petr Jalůvka, saying that he and his team mapped 650,000 pieces of items on the total area of 22,300 square metres.
A total of 3.5 million movements of exhibition equipment needed to be analyzed. And a design for a central warehouse with a capacity of almost 7,000 storage places and an area of 4,400 square metres. The whole “event” took DYNAMIC FUTURE 3 months.
“We proposed consolidating the warehouses into one new warehouse, and changing the work system in the warehouses, including, for example, the use of a WMS (warehouse management system) for a controlled warehouse, various warehouse and handling technologies, identification of materials for the use of WMS, or electronic issues and receipts directly in the warehouses,” describes the company representative of DYNAMIC FUTURE.
Opava trolleybuses and the optimization of timetables
One of the pioneering projects using digital twins in the Czech Republic was the verification of the plan for the construction of a trolleybus loop in the center of Opava. It happened in 2004.
“There was a relatively large loop of trolleybuses in the centre of the city, but it did not allow them to quickly turn around and direct them to the outskirts. Historically, however, the trolleys were stretched on the small Rybí trhu square. And we checked how their use will increase the comfort of travel when a new anchor point is created there,” says Petr Jalůvka.
Part of the assignment was the creation of a dynamic model of passenger transportation via urban public transport in the “Witness 2003” programme. The successful solution was followed by the optimization of timetables, and also the setting of new routes for hybrid vehicles operated by Opava public transport.
Changing the e-waste collection system
DYNAMIC FUTURE also used the Witness simulation model when working for ASEKOL, a company providing collection, transport, and recycling of end-of-life electrical appliances.
“Our task was to carry out an analysis of the method of collection of waste electrical and electronic equipment from the whole of the Czech Republic, and propose its optimization so that financial costs are reduced. The solution concerned not only the concept of logistics, but also the method of handling. Subsequently, we were asked to analyze the effectiveness of the use of e-waste containers,” says Jan Šlajer about the project implemented in 2014.
First, based on data from ASEKOL, it was necessary to analyze the entire network and propose a more efficient layout. With the help of the Witness simulation programme, the savings potential in the collection system was demonstrated in the amount of CZK 8 million in 2015, and another CZK 1 million in 2016. For reasons related to contracts with municipalities, the final savings were realistically set at 5 million CZK.
Znojmo hospital and better use of their operating rooms
In 2008, DYNAMIC FUTURE built a simulation model tailored to a medical facility for the very first time. For Znojmo Hospital, they prepared a study with the aim of revealing problem areas from the point of view of surgery planning options, proposing changes leading to the improvement of operating theatre use, as well as operating teams and special surgical equipment, plus checking layout variants in the future.
“Based on the results of the simulations, we came to the conclusion that the capacity of the operating theatres in the planned state is sufficient, and it is possible to increase it by more than two times,” states P. Jalůvka.
DYNAMIC FUTURE proposed a new layout of the operating theatres, which allowed for an increase in their capacity, the establishment of a septic room, the improvement of the technical support room for the staff, and the separation of sterile and unsterile areas.
Warehouse for wholesale fruit and vegetables and for garden products sellers
The new warehouse in Slovakia and the conversion of the warehouse in Brno were handled by DYNAMIC FUTURE for the company Hortim, which completed part of the storage space, and needed to check with a model how to streamline and organize the original one.
“An advantage of dynamic simulation is that it will show all flows that occur in the warehouse. And it will thereby help the responsible persons to decide, for example, even before the acquisition of equipment, its innovation, or the expansion of storage areas,” points out the company representative.
According to him, the size of the warehouse is not as important for planning as the number of items and the complexity of the process. For example, for the company Meva, which sells goods for workshops and gardens, seasonality played an important role in the planning of the warehouse. DYNAMIC FUTURE had to design a solution reflecting the fact that the demand for individual products fluctuates greatly during the year.
“It is always necessary to design such a solution to exclude unnecessary manipulation. And also to give the project the right software support and warehouse management system. At the same time, securing everything by supporting barcodes, chips, and the like, so that as much of the warehouse workers’ work volume as possible can be automated. Another essential part of simulation projects is the incorporation of suitable warehouse technology,” sums up Jan Šlajer.
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