EVIDENCE BEFORE COMMITMENT

Before you change
the factory,
test the decision.

Adding capacity, changing a layout or redesigning material flow? Factory Decision Lab helps manufacturers compare operational alternatives before committing capital, capacity and time.

Production · Capacity · Material Flow · Warehousing · Internal Logistics · Layout

Discuss a Factory Decision See how FDL works ↓

An initiative by SimAnalytix LLP — industrial operations and decision support.

Start with the decision. Build the evidence. Act with clarity.
THE QUESTIONS THAT MATTER

What decision
are you facing?

Recognise a conversation from your factory?
That is where our work begins.

01 / ORDER ACCEPTANCE

Can we handle more demand without disrupting existing customers?

Test changing demand and product mix against the commitments already made.

02 / CAPACITY

Do we really need another machine?

Check whether capacity, labour, inspection or scheduling is the real limitation.

03 / LAYOUT

Will this layout work?

Compare travel, congestion, buffers and resource interactions before equipment moves.

04 / MATERIAL FLOW

How should material flow?

Compare routes, handling methods, replenishment policies and buffers.

05 / WAREHOUSING

Will the warehouse support operations?

Test storage, picking, replenishment, docks and staging under peak demand.

06 / INTERNAL LOGISTICS

How much handling capacity do we need?

Evaluate forklifts, AGVs, AMRs, cranes, tugger systems and shared operators.

07 / PLANNING & DELIVERY

What production plan is actually feasible?

Protect delivery promises when demand, downtime, material availability or product mix changes.

THE FACTORY AS A SYSTEM01 / DECISION VIEW

One change.
Consequences everywhere.

INCOMING ORDERS
Demand + product mix
01

Receiving + Storage

Trucks · unloading · put-away · raw material · buffers

02

Production

Capacity · setups · sequencing

03

Assembly / Finishing

Availability · coordination

04

FG Warehouse + Dispatch

Storage · staging · docks · loading

RUNNING THROUGH EVERY STEP

Material Flow · People · Handling · Scheduling · Information

Delivery commitments
Test the system before changing the factory.
ILLUSTRATIVE SYSTEM · NOT CLIENT DATA
THE FDL PRINCIPLE

Capacity only matters
if it can flow.

More equipment does not automatically mean more throughput. Machines, people, material availability, storage, buffers, handling, scheduling and sequencing interact. Operating policies and variability determine what the whole system can deliver.

FDL helps test whether the true constraint is capacity, flow or the way the system is operated.

THE REALITY ON THE SHOP FLOOR

A factory is connected.
Its information often isn't.

Complex production systems rarely offer a complete picture. Experience, operating data and practical constraints all hold part of the answer.

01

Knowledge lives in different places.

People, Excel, ERP and WhatsApp each carry pieces of the production story. Operating data may be incomplete or inconsistent.

02

Averages hide the difficult days.

Downtime, changing product mix and variable process times can turn a plausible plan into an unworkable one.

03

A local improvement can move the problem.

Machines, labour, handling, queues and schedules interact. Improving one operation can create congestion elsewhere.

DECISION AREAS

Where the decision
changes the factory.

Specific questions. Consequential choices.
A view of the whole operating system.

01

Capacity decisions

Understand what the existing system can deliver before adding equipment.

  • Compare machines, shifts, labour and outsourcing.
  • Find the real bottleneck under the intended product mix.
  • Test which capacity addition should happen first.
02

Production flow decisions

Build a feasible operating plan around actual constraints and existing customer commitments.

  • Compare routing, sequencing, line balance and release rules.
  • Test WIP and buffers against throughput and lead time.
  • Check delivery risk before accepting additional demand.
03

Material flow decisions

Connect each operation with a flow of material the system can sustain.

  • Compare routes, handling methods and supermarkets.
  • Test replenishment policies and buffer locations.
  • Identify congestion and delays between processes.
04

Layout decisions

Test how an arrangement will operate before committing to it.

  • Compare greenfield, expansion and relocation layouts.
  • Evaluate travel, congestion, staging and resource access.
  • Check whether the layout supports intended output and growth.
05

Warehouse decisions

Evaluate storage and fulfilment as part of the complete operating system.

  • Test storage, picking and replenishment requirements.
  • Compare docks, staging and dispatch arrangements.
  • Check handling capacity during peak demand.
06

Internal logistics decisions

Match shared handling resources to the work they must support.

  • Compare forklifts, AGVs, AMRs, cranes and tugger systems.
  • Test fleet sizes, routes, dispatch rules and operator needs.
  • See where shared-resource conflicts restrict production.
07

Growth & change decisions

Test the operational case for growth and the sequence in which to change.

  • Evaluate new products, volume growth and product-mix changes.
  • Compare expansion alternatives and investment sequences.
  • Test resilience to downtime, absence and material delays.
HOW FDL WORKS

From a difficult question
to a defensible decision.

A focused process. The right level of analysis.

01

Frame the decision

What are we deciding, why now, and what happens if the decision is wrong?

02

Understand the system

Establish operating conditions, constraints, dependencies and uncertainty with the people who run the operation.

03

Define alternatives

Identify credible options, including changes to operating policies. Test more than the solution already proposed.

04

Build the evidence

Combine operational data, process knowledge, existing records and appropriate analysis. Make assumptions explicit.

05

Test scenarios

Explore demand, product mix, variability, breakdowns, operating policies and alternatives.

06

Compare and decide

Explain trade-offs, risks, sensitivities and the conditions under which each alternative works.

“The goal is to build enough evidence to make a better decision.”Model sophistication is a means, never the objective.
WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH

Evidence you can act on.

01

A clearly framed decision

Clarify what must actually be decided, the alternatives being considered, the constraints that matter and what a good outcome means.

02

A defensible representation of the system

Build the simplest useful representation of the factory using available data, process knowledge, observations and explicit engineering assumptions.

03

Scenario evidence

Understand what changes under different demand, capacity, product mix, scheduling, layout or operating assumptions — including the trade-offs and uncertainty.

04

A decision brief

Summarise the recommendation, evidence, assumptions, risks and practical implications so management can decide what to do next.

The deliverable is not simply a model. It is evidence structured around a decision.

START ONE STEP EARLIER

The proposed solution
isn’t always
the real decision.

These are proposed solutions. FDL starts with the problem to solve, the alternatives available and the evidence that would justify the commitment.

“We need another machine.”

“We need four AGVs.”

“We need a larger warehouse.”

“We need another shift.”

What must improve — and what else could work?
A DECISION IN PRACTICE ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE

Capacity decision —
machining operations.

Illustrative context: a manufacturer faces deteriorating delivery performance and is considering another CNC machine.

THE INITIAL QUESTION

“Which machine should we buy?”

THE FDL QUESTION

“What is preventing the existing system from meeting demand?”

ALTERNATIVES TO EVALUATE
Add a machine; change setup and sequencing policies; reallocate labour; improve inspection or material availability.
EVIDENCE TO USE
Order mix, routings, cycle and setup times, downtime, queue observations and operator availability.
SCENARIOS TO TEST
Current and higher demand, a different product mix, breakdowns and alternative operating policies.
DECISION INSIGHT TO SEEK
Which option improves delivery, where the constraint moves, and under what conditions capital is justified.
A hypothetical decision story. These are proposed comparisons, not completed analysis, a client result or a promise of savings.
THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE QUESTION

The right method
for the decision.

Not every factory question requires a simulation model. We select the level of analysis that fits the decision, available evidence, complexity and uncertainty.

Operational data analysisProcess analysisCapacity analysisScenario modellingDiscrete-event simulationOptimizationSensitivity analysis

Tools such as FlexSim, SimPy and Python support the analysis where appropriate. The result is a comparison of operational choices, with assumptions, trade-offs and limitations made clear.

WHO FDL IS FOR

For factories with
important decisions ahead.

Manufacturing SMEs and mid-sized manufacturers: owners, plant heads, operations leaders, industrial engineers, production planners, warehouse managers and material-flow professionals.

Precision machining · Automotive components · Industrial machinery · Sheet metal · Switchgear · Job shops · Assembly · Factory logistics · Metals processing · Industrial components

Growing, but unsure where to add capacity

Facing recurring delivery or planning problems

Considering a new layout or facility expansion

Managing complex, high-mix production

Depending on the knowledge of key individuals

Rich in ERP data, short on decision clarity

Ready to test major changes before implementing them

THE EXPERIENCE BEHIND THE LAB

An initiative by
SimAnalytix LLP.

Factory Decision Lab is an initiative of SimAnalytix LLP, drawing on hands-on experience in discrete-event simulation, manufacturing systems, capacity evaluation, production planning and factory logistics.

Founded by Deepam Panchal, the practice brings experience across machining, metals, assembly, manufacturing logistics, warehousing and complex production systems to factory decisions where better evidence can reduce operational or investment risk.

Deepam Panchal — LinkedIn

A clear focus.

Specific, consequential factory decisions where better evidence can reduce operational or investment risk.

FDL is not tied to a particular software or modelling method. The method is chosen based on the decision, the available evidence and the level of detail needed.

LET'S START WITH YOUR DECISION

Bring us a factory decision.

Capacity, flow, layout, warehousing or internal logistics: understand the alternatives before committing resources or customer promises.

Discuss Your Decision Connect on LinkedIn
A first discussion focuses on your decision, the evidence available and whether analysis would materially improve the decision.
START THE DISCUSSION

Tell me about the decision.

Start with the decision you are trying to make, what is making it difficult and what evidence you currently have.

For example: accepting new demand, delivery risk, capacity addition, layout, material flow, warehousing, internal logistics or expansion.

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