BAe Systems models Land munitions plant: aids visibility

The company used Lanner's Witness software at the planning and design stages of Land Systems' High Volume PBX facility (HVPBX), and also produced a virtual reality 'fly through', enabling Land to demonstrate the benefits of the project, now under construction at its Glascoed site in South Wales, to staff and customers. The HVPBX facility is the result of the drive to introduce insensitive munitions (IM) to the world's fighting forces to improve weapon safety. It will produce high volumes of IM weapons. The simulation enabled the team to take variables like materials, numbers of containers, staff and shifts into account. "Using Witness has pointed to areas where we could make the process more efficient, and has given us confidence in the predicted unit production costs," says Phil Djali, HVPBX project leader. Referring to the fly-through, Oliver Bird, who heads up Lanner's BAE Systems account team, adds: "It was just as important as the simulation modelling. Like any major new project, success is dependant on encouraging stakeholder buy-in and support." Says Djali: "Accurate planning of the new facility is essential. We chose Lanner for its tried and tested expertise, quality and support and its reputation within BAE Systems and other global organisations. From the start, the team has been understanding of our needs and highly responsive… We're considering extending its use beyond the production line to other areas of the business."