Some call it game playing.  Others may refer to it as a simulation.  No matter what the name, the ability to test and validate proposed changes to processes before the first machine is moved can be a significant time and cost-saver.

An IMEC client recently asked us help them do just that on processes they were developing for a new product line.  We deployed the “Monte Carlo” method, which predicts potential outcomes within a complex processes by running statistical models off of randomized inputs.  Odds makers use the technique to model sporting events and predict which team will be favored to win a certain percentage of the time.  The term “Monte Carlo” was the code name given by scientists who developed a computational method for determining the performance of the atomic bomb.