Dynamic simulations belong to technologies that are exceptionally complex. Despite that, the executives of DYNAMIC FUTURE say that the changes brought by dynamic simulations are often much more interesting than data, charts and applications. That was demonstrated on the project of Klinkhamer’s assembly performance verification for Siemens Electric Motors. 

In 1999, right before the official formation of DYNAMIC FUTURE, our team was contacted by the Operations Manager of Siemens brand in Frenstat pod Radhostem saying they needed to verify the performance of compiling several production line variants and its occupation with the workforce. “It was a great intervention in the existing processes and there was a worry that without using the model, a lot of problems might emerge. Back then, it was interesting to us that unlike the smithy of Kuncice, Siemens had already been using SAP. However, it was a completely new line that no data existed for. Coming up with what it would look like, preparing estimates and working with various axial heights of electric motors was all needed. On one line, 6 types of electric motors with many attributes should have been produced. In total, there were around 40 thousand combinations that should have been running on the line, with the operation period varying from one minute to several hours,” says the executive head of DYNAMIC FUTURE Petr Jaluvka.

Deflections? In the order of pieces!

The dedication that the employees of Siemens entered this project with was crucial. In order to have complete trust in the simulation model, they prepared a rough test. Prepared all the products in the way to be optimal, as was shown in the model, and headed towards producing the same product structure that was created in the simulation model by DYNAMIC FUTURE. 

“It was a simulation of 10 work shifts, when approximately 280 motors went into production. When comparing the results, a deflection of just a few pieces came up in the model. Great results! All people were suddenly convinced about the purpose of using a simulation model. Even for us, it’s not common that the goal is reached 100 %, described P. Jaluvka.

During the test, the forklift’s battery ran out, and even though the Siemens employees had a spare one prepared, that one was not okay either. Thanks to that, a weak spot was uncovered and DYNAMIC FUTURE then verified the supply logistics of the whole line.

One project with several secondary useful outputs

There was a problem right when designing the basic simulation model. The testing room for the produced motors testing placed at the end of the line had only half of the needed capacity. A „detail“ that had been ignored until then was immediately made visible after launching the model and trivial calculation confirmed undersizing of the testing room. “That was a big benefit of the model, because otherwise, although the company would have built the production line with great performance, it would have to place the testing room outside the hall, because inside of it, there was no space for extension. That would mean enormous costs for manipulation, transportation and operation. Nobody counted with that,“ states P. Jaluvka. 

Complex logistics was also dealt with within the project. When delivering the goods to the workplaces, the professionals from DYNAMIC FUTURE found out that if it worked in accordance with the standard key – which means distribution of the material and delivering it to the workplace once a day – it wouldn’t be suitable capacity-wise. “When we started with these considerations, we heard that it’s not possible – the computing experts disapproved. Then it turned out that there’s no other way, the barriers broke down and this information support got accustomed to the process needs,” explains the executive.

To put it simply, the model can be described like this: Electric motors went through the line on one horizontal conveyor belt, to which vertical conveyor belts were connected. The pressing process was followed by clamping, then rotors assembly, the entire assembly and testing. Workspace for specialities was a part as well and made up about 14 % volume of the whole production. It was crucial to tune out the number of vertical conveyor belts that had to be filled and discharged as a whole. The production was running in accordance with customer needs, so when a speciality order came, the whole process was blocked.

A 20 % increase

Out of the various simulations, it resulted that for the planned volume of 85 products a shift, it’s necessary to add a workplace for trying out new finished motors, because one workplace is able to only test 82 products a shift maximum; that two workspaces for assembling are not enough to process the required number of products, that’s why it was needed to have three; that for clamping, three workspaces instead of the proposed four, are enough or that the workers for clamping and assembling should pass to the side conveyor belts as well. By building a production line based on dynamic simulation, Siemens increased the production of electric motors by 20 percent.

“Siemens Electric Motors are still our customers, we execute a common study once or twice a year. Some coworkers became friends. And four years ago, we organized a simulation workshop that moved the partnership to another level. It connected all the responsible workers in the way that they came to mutual understanding of individual professional requirements and finding consensus corresponding to the production needs,” says Petr Jaluvka.