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Arena simulation software improves system flow at aluminium smelter

One of Billiton’s South African smelters (Bayside) produces a range of different primary aluminium products that are sold in the South African domestic market. The challenge was to manage the logistics, especially the inbound and outbound vehicle flow through the main gates at Billiton’s Bayside Aluminium plant. Vehicle queuing at the gates to the plant was a problem because frequently-used weighbridges were located near the gates. The question was, if the weighbridges were relocated, how would this change influence the inbound and outbound flow of vehicles? Billiton employed Arena® simulation software to build a model representing the entire vehicle flow through the plant as well as between the casthouse and the stockyard. Various scenarios were investigated in the Arena model. Three scenarios would have led to at least a 50% improvement in queuing times, but the first and second scenarios would have cost at least US$60,000 (360,000 ZAR, South Africa Rand) compared to US$30,000 (180,000 ZAR) for the third scenario. (The average queuing times of all three scenarios were virtually the same.) Read more on Simulation Software on the Analista website.

Posted by the Author on Friday, February 19th, 2010 at 5:58 am.

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