A discrete-event twin of a bottling line
A simulation calibrated to machine event logs showed where throughput was really lost and let management test buffer, speed and maintenance options before buying a new filler.
- Location
- Lebanon
- Duration
- 5 months
- +14%throughput from buffer and speed changes
- < 3%model error against measured output
- Deferredfiller purchase, pending demand
The challenge
The line ran well below its nameplate rate and the proposed answer was a larger filler. Management wanted evidence before committing capital.
What we did
Machine states, stoppages and speeds were extracted from PLC logs and reconciled into a consistent event history for each machine and conveyor.
A discrete-event model of the line was built and calibrated until it reproduced measured throughput and stoppage patterns within a few percent.
Scenarios compared the new filler against larger accumulation buffers, changed speed settings and a different micro-stoppage response on the labeller.
The outcome
The bottleneck was the labeller’s micro-stoppages, not the filler. Buffer and speed changes recovered most of the lost output at a fraction of the cost, and the filler purchase was deferred.
A representative engagement. The figures are indicative of typical outcomes for this kind of work and are not drawn from a named client.
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