Everyone wants to optimise their profits, their operations and their systems, including those who claim they can achieve that with simulation and digital twins. So, are simulation and optimisation the same thing?

Simulation – the most effective tool

The fact is that as production and business systems become more complex, decision-makers need effective tools to help them design and run these systems. Simulation is undoubtedly the most effective tool for modelling the complexity and dynamics of actual production and business systems and evaluating their performance. When combined with various data analysis and machine learning algorithms, simulation can provide the actual predictive and prescriptive capabilities required to resolve real-world issues in the industry.

Building a deeper understanding

Moreover, this kind of simulation-based optimisation does not involve seeking mathematically global optimality for your actual problems – it involves gaining a much deeper understanding and insights to help you make wiser decisions when it comes to designing, running and managing your factory, which is not possible with current industrial practices.

Courses for both employees and managers

As part of WISER, we will be developing courses to suit industry professionals at different levels, with different backgrounds. We will start off with a basic production simulation and optimisation course for absolute beginners. It is aimed at anyone who has an interest in knowing how these technologies can optimise system flows and hence profitability, and who aims to have enough basic skills to do their job well.

We will also be offering a course aimed at managers: Virtual Factory Physics for Managers. Drawing on Factory Physics theories and principles, which are much less well known than Lean Manufacturing, but strictly more scientific, we will demonstrate and provide course participants with insights on how simulation and optimisation can be combined to achieve general and specific management principles for building wiser managers. You are welcome to apply for any of our WISER courses