Skip to content
SimTool.com

Simulation news, articles & best practices

SimTool — discover simulation tools for engineers and researchers

Manufacturing & Supply-Chain

Production-line layout, assembly systems, inventory/warehouse flows

23 articles

News

Visual Components 5.1: 10x Faster AMR Simulation, PhysX 5.5 Physics, and Allen-Bradley PLC Connectivity

Visual Components 5.1 delivers a complete rebuild of its mobile robot navigation stack, enabling hundreds of AMRs and AGVs to run simultaneously with up to 10x faster performance. The release also upgrades the physics engine to PhysX 5.5 for more reliable material flow simulation and adds Allen-Bradley PLC connectivity alongside new virtual commissioning plugins for Nachi and Epson robots.

By Jeff 45 views
News

SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2026: Fill Thin Slot, Angular Displacement Plots, and Pin Connector Force Extraction

SOLIDWORKS Simulation 2026 delivers targeted enhancements across structural, thermal, vibration, and plastics analysis workflows. Key additions include the Fill Thin Slot feature for accurate heat transfer modeling in compact assemblies, angular displacement plotting in degrees or radians, pin connector force extraction in random vibration studies, and a 30% speed boost for injection molding simulations.

By Jeff 43 views
Article

FlexSim's Input Analyzer: Fitting Statistical Distributions to Real-World Manufacturing Data

FlexSim's Input Analyzer provides a rigorous, integrated workflow for fitting theoretical statistical distributions—lognormal, Weibull, gamma, and more—to empirical shop-floor data, replacing guesswork with statistically defensible process-time parameters. This article walks through data collection, automated distribution fitting, goodness-of-fit interpretation, and practical application to process times and failure modeling in manufacturing simulation models.

By Jeff 111 views
Article

FlexSim's Input Analyzer: Fitting Statistical Distributions to Real-World Manufacturing Data

FlexSim's Input Analyzer provides a rigorous, integrated workflow for fitting theoretical statistical distributions—lognormal, Weibull, gamma, and more—to empirical shop-floor data, replacing guesswork with statistically defensible process-time parameters. This article walks through data collection, automated distribution fitting, goodness-of-fit interpretation, and practical application to process times and failure modeling in manufacturing simulation models.

By Jeff 98 views
News

SimScale Launches Engineering AI Agents and Open Workflows Platform for Autonomous Simulation Orchestration

SimScale has opened its Engineering AI agents to all enterprise teams and launched SimScale Workflows, an open platform architecture enabling any solver or custom method to be integrated natively. Together, these releases enable fully autonomous, end-to-end simulation pipelines where AI agents manage the entire engineering process — from CAD preparation to validated reporting — without human handoffs.

By Jeff 680 views
Article

Lean Waste Identification with Siemens Tecnomatix Plant Simulation: Value Stream Mapping and Muda Analysis

Siemens Tecnomatix Plant Simulation transforms static value stream mapping into a stochastic, dynamic analysis environment, enabling manufacturing engineers to quantify all seven lean wastes under realistic process variability. This article walks through model construction, waste measurement techniques, and the Experiment Manager workflow for comparing lean improvement scenarios—buffer right-sizing, workstation rebalancing, and kanban pull—before any physical changes are made.

By Jeff 107 views
Article

Inventory Policy Optimization in AnyLogic: Simulating (s, S) and (r, Q) Replenishment Strategies

AnyLogic's multi-method simulation environment enables supply chain engineers to rigorously compare and tune (s, S) and (r, Q) inventory replenishment policies using stochastic demand models and built-in optimization. This article walks through model construction, experiment design, and result interpretation to help practitioners move beyond static EOQ formulas toward data-driven inventory decisions.

By Jeff 145 views
News

Siemens Unveils Digital Twin Composer: Building the Industrial Metaverse at Scale

Siemens has launched Digital Twin Composer, a revolutionary platform that enables organizations to build Industrial Metaverse environments at enterprise scale. Built on NVIDIA Omniverse libraries, the software combines real-time data, AI-powered simulation, and photorealistic visualization to transform how companies design, optimize, and operate complex industrial systems.

By Jeff 213 views
News

SimScale and PTC Partner to Democratize Cloud Simulation for Startups

SimScale and PTC announce strategic collaboration providing Onshape Start-Up Program members with three months of free access to professional cloud-native simulation capabilities, breaking down traditional barriers to advanced CAE tools for emerging businesses.

By Jeff 185 views
News

SimScale and PTC Partner to Democratize Cloud Simulation for Startups

SimScale and PTC announce strategic collaboration providing Onshape Start-Up Program members with three months of free access to professional cloud-native simulation capabilities, breaking down traditional barriers to advanced CAE tools for emerging businesses.

By Jeff 153 views
News

Siemens Completes $10 Billion Acquisition of Altair Engineering, Creating Industry's Most Comprehensive AI-Powered Simulation Portfolio

Siemens has completed its acquisition of Altair Engineering Inc. for $10 billion, finalizing on March 26, 2025. This landmark merger integrates Altair's simulation, HPC, and AI capabilities into Siemens Xcelerator, creating the world's most comprehensive AI-powered design and simulation portfolio with projected synergies exceeding $1 billion annually.

By Jeff 710 views