Overview
Facility layout and material flow optimization studies evaluate multiple layout scenarios to in order to help you design a layout that reduces material handling costs, improves throughput, and minimizes space requirements. Our expertise in material flow analysis and facility layout planning can help you determine how your facility can attain and exceed target outputs.
Accurate 2D or 3D CAD data is the essential starting point for any material flow analysis and subsequent upgrades to facility layout design. Being a multi-faceted company, PMC leverages our digital engineering expertise to construct as-built plant models for our clients. We have created an extensive asset library consisting of all major material handling, tooling, and equipment designs to suit all industry needs. PMC has the ability and experience to design custom, task-specific material handling solutions for unique situations, and to assist in material flow system improvement. This added level of detail provides more accurate facility visualizations as a starting point for tackling inefficiencies.
Ergonomic Material Handling Equipment
PMC’s expertise in evaluation of ergonomically standard material handling equipment and stations, based on Anthropometric Measurements, gives a significant advantage in designing the line-side equipment and delivery of product. This approach to material handling is ergonomically operator-centric and efficient for the overall design. With a combination of CAD models and ergonomic simulations, we can make the following estimates, which are vital for operator wellbeing and process efficiency.
- Optimum pickup heights
- Optimum reach
- Optimum workstation/line side equipment heights and reaches
- Permissible Load Limit
- Worker Load Repetition
Static material flow analysis
Static material flow analysis can be used in sync with a Plan for Every Part (PFEP) in a project’s data collection/creation phase. This makes it an ideal precursor to a complete discrete-event simulation run, in order to provide valuable insights for further analysis and for identifying optimum scenarios. Static material flow analysis illuminates:
- Aisle congestions
- Point to point material flow
- Euclidean Distance
- Spaghetti diagrams
- Dock Utilization
Dynamic Simulation for Material Flow
PMC’s expertise in discrete and continuous event simulation over a wide variety of simulation packages has benefited hundreds of clients over more than 40 years. Especially in the field of material handling, our dynamic simulation techniques enable clients to efficiently plan for production ramping, design and optimize material handling routes, select line side equipment, estimate finished goods inventory, and optimize dock operations and warehouse footprints.
