Discrete event simulation from Deneb is the Digital Manufacturing technology of choice for Northern Technologies

Northern Technologies, the industry owned business support and technology transfer centre based in Nelson, Lancashire, has invested in Deneb/QUEST(R) advanced simulation software. DENEB/QUEST was chosen because it is the most advanced and flexible "virtual enterprise" software available.

Nelson, Lancashire, United Kingdom, July 8, 1999--Steve Wilkinson, a Project Manager at Northern Technologies said:"We knew that advanced simulation would help our 80 members optimise their production, so we began investigating the marketplace several months ago. After looking at all the simulation vendors, it quickly became apparent that Deneb’s QUEST delivered the best functionality by far. We were told by Deneb that, ‘if it moves, it can be modelled,’ which has turned out to be completely true."

Steve continued: "At first, some of our clients thought that DENEB/QUEST, with its impressive graphics, was technological overkill, appropriate only for big companies like Ford. However, we have demonstrated to several of them that DENEB/QUEST can, by optimising the manufacturing process, deliver significant production savings. We have also found that advanced simulation enables everyone to understand what is going on, so is a real communication facilitator. One of our members is even deploying DENEB/QUEST as a marketing tool. Sugden Limited has unique baking machinery, but the only way of showing potential customers a product’s eye view, and therefore the machinery’s special features, is via QUEST."

"For Northern Technologies to have the vision to use discrete event simulation not only as a tool for the manufacturing process, but also as a marketing tool shows clearly that they are leading edge," said Rakesh Mahajan, CEO, Deneb Robotics. "Deneb is proud to be their Digital Manufacturing supplier. We actively seek alignments with such consortiums, as we feel they truly benefit industry."

DENEB/QUEST is one of the most advanced discrete event simulation packages available. Incorporating Virtual Reality (VR) and 3D graphics, DENEB/QUEST is an interactive tool which allows the user to quickly produce textured, high quality models for both commerce and manufacturing applications. The new Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) macros and the innovative Activity Based Costing macros mean that questions such as, "How accessible and efficient is the product storage arrangement in my warehouse?" and "How does this layout affect my variable cost?" can be easily addressed.

DENEB/QUEST integrates with all the other Deneb products, so it is possible to create an interactive, virtual factory where machinery, robots and people are simulated to provide a total managerial solution, giving answers on everything from ergonomics to production planning.