Factory planning - holistic consulting by Bross & Partner
Factory planning from concept to implementation
Our consulting makes your factory fit for the future
The initiation of factory planning, also known as plant structure planning or plant planning, is usually due to the fact that the factory no longer meets the requirements placed on it. This can apply to the new planning, rescheduling or expansion of a factory. The following reasons speak for our consulting and the start of a factory planning project:
- Low economic efficiency
- Low capacities
- Changes in product portfolio
- Changed legal situation
- New corporate strategy
Our consulting approach: factory planning according to VDI 5200
When planning and building a new factory, the needs and requirements of the individual company must be taken into account as early as the planning phase. This is the only way to set the course for efficient operation. Bross & Partner accompanies you from the concept to the detailed layout during factory planning and relies on close cooperation with your company. For an optimal result, we proceed in factory planning according to the guideline VDI 5200. In this planning procedure, the requirements and basics of factory planning are defined, planned and implemented in seven phases as shown in the following figure.
The factory goals as the basis of factory planning
In the target definition, the targets for factory planning are derived from the corporate strategy. These goals are also used for the evaluation of the concepts. In order for a company to survive in the long term and have a high degree of future robustness, the following goals are important:
- short material flows & movements
- high space efficiency
- attractive working environment
- high flexibility and adaptability
- sustainable use of resources
- and energy-efficient operation
The contents of our consulting services in the phase of basic evaluation in factory planning are analogous to those of the first service phase according to HOAI – the Fee Structure for Architects and Engineers. Accordingly, the basic evaluation is an essential part of the preparation. The aim is to develop a project plan and to collect all necessary information and data as well as to define the production program.
Our services in the field of factory planning
- Holistic planning according to VDI 5200
- Greenfield planning
- Brownfield planning
- Digital twin
- Material flow analysis
- Benchmarks and Best Practice
Our tools in factory planning
From concept to detailed planning
In concept planning, the formulated goals are transformed into a resilient concept. This first requires structuring the company into organizational and functional units. This is followed by the dimensioning of the number of operating resources and employees as well as the area. To develop the best possible factory layout, it makes sense to determine an ideal layout. Starting from this ideal layout, real layouts are derived step by step. Finally, the real layouts are compared with the ideal layout and evaluated. According to HOAI, the accompanying phase of factory planning is preliminary planning. In detailed planning, the best-evaluated real layout is detailed. The first detailing step consists of detailed planning by transferring block layouts into millimeter layouts. In addition to the factory building, this also contains information on media and material supply. In addition, all the necessary documents for submitting building and permit applications are compiled. Another extensive part of the factory structure planning consists of the preparation of specifications and tenders for the equipment and trades to be procured.
The realization and factory ramp up
In preparation for implementation, offers are solicited on the basis of the specifications. For the purpose of comparability, the offers must be coordinated with the suppliers and the scopes must be adjusted. Only in this way is it possible to award the contract with the best price-performance ratio. Based on the delivery times and the project plan of the factory planning, an implementation plan must now be drawn up. The corresponding service phases of the HOAI are here the preparation and the participation in the awarding. In the realization monitoring, the progress of the factory planning and the adherence to the set deadlines is constantly monitored. In addition, a performance control is to ensure the implementation quality. With the SOP – the Start of Production – the factory planning is followed by the ramp-up support, which is to ensure the achievement of the targeted capacity utilization by successively increasing the production load. This is done by fine-tuning production logistics and stabilizing production processes. In addition to the support of the production systems, the object support and documentation is carried out.
Digital factory planning with innovative tools
With our range of services, we address both companies planning a complete new factory construction as well as companies that want to revise and optimize already existing plants from scratch. In addition to layout planning, our experts are also active in production planning, logistics planning and material flow analysis. To identify optimization potential in material flow, we rely on state-of-the-art material flow simulations such as Siemens Tecnomatix Plant Simulation®, Autodesk AutoCAD® and Plavis visTABLE®. By using state-of-the-art tools, we are able to take into account all the details of factory planning and tailor them to your needs.
Factory planning as the basis of the Smart Factory
You want to make your company fit for the future? Then rely on our offer for factory planning. We accompany you reliably on the way to the smart factory and plan the precise networking of various machines and processes. In the process, we help you select the right information and communication technology. In order to remain competitive in the long term, the conversion to Industry 4.0 is considered inevitable on the one hand, but is also one of the greatest challenges on the other. It is therefore all the more important that this is planned precisely and with foresight right from the start.