Manufacturing analysis and control: shared resource capacity analysis in biotech manufacturing

Simulation is a relatively new tool for business process analysis in the Biotech industry. This paper discusses an application of discrete event simulation in analyzing the capacity needs of a shared resource in the manufacturing facility at Bayer Corporation's Berkeley site. The SIGMA® simulation model was used to analyze the workload patterns, run different workload scenarios, taking into consideration uncertainty and variability, and provide recommendation on a capacity increase plan. This analysis also demonstrated benefits of certain operational scheduling policies. The analysis outcome was used to determine capital investments for 2002. The paper illustrates the power of simulation tools in providing quick and robust analysis with solutions to planning problems.