VB Engineering Discrete Event Simulation from the Perth channel partnership. Country-native standards overlay. CPEng + RPEQ signed. Native handover to Wistwin · the sister Industry 4.0 digital twin SaaS.
For brownfield Pilbara iron ore train load-out and process plant in Australia: throughput modelling, bottleneck analysis, utilisation forecasting, and what-if scenario evaluation, all on validated DES models with documented input data and confidence intervals.
Across the Pilbara iron-ore corridor, the North West Shelf LNG belt, and the east-coast critical-minerals build-out, a validated discrete-event simulation is what turns a capex proposal from an argument into evidence. Australia's industrial electrical engineering market is anchored by Pilbara iron ore (Rio Tinto · BHP · FMG), the LNG west coast (Karratha · Onslow · Darwin), east coast coal-seam-gas to LNG (Gladstone), and a growing critical-minerals processing build-out. Worksafe enforcement under AS/NZS 4836 (Safe working on low-voltage installations) is the primary driver of arc flash baseline work. Australia's mining and LNG cycles built most of the existing industrial electrical asset between 2005 and 2018. The next decade is operating-cost extraction from that asset base · and the operating side is where every brownfield engineering hour matters.
Process is captured to BPMN 2.0 and ISA-95 conventions. Input data validated to ASTM E2476 / VV&A practice. Output statistics confidence-bounded; no single-run results in the deliverable. Where the operator references AS/NZS 3000 (wiring rules) · AS/NZS 3008 (cable selection) · AS/NZS 4836 (safe working LV) · AS/NZS 60079 (hazardous area) · AS/NZS 3017 (testing) · AS/NZS 3007 (mining electrical), the engineering reference layer aligns; the simulation methodology is invariant.
The FlexSim / AnyLogic / Simio model handed over with a run-book the operator's engineering team can use to run their own experiments. Where the operator subscribes to the Wistwin platform, the model integrates with the digital-twin layer directly.
Process flow captured on the live plant, walked with operations, modelled in FlexSim / AnyLogic / Simio. As-Is model validated against 4-6 weeks of historian data so the baseline matches reality before any what-if begins.
Steady-state throughput under base-case conditions, with bottleneck identification at the resource level. Where the bottleneck is constraint-stacked (two resources alternating as the constraint), the model surfaces this with utilisation curves rather than averages.
Capex options modelled side-by-side (debottleneck option A versus capacity-expansion option B versus operational-change option C). Each scenario reports throughput, utilisation, queue length, and Service Level confidence with bounds.
Random-failure modelling of the critical equipment fleet with MTBF / MTTR from the operator CMMS. Plant performance under cascading failure scenarios. The deliverable answers "how resilient is this plant" with a defensible number.
Where input data has measurement uncertainty (a recurring reality in Australia brownfield plants), the deliverable includes sensitivity sweeps on the top input drivers so the operator sees which assumptions move the answer the most.
Three Australian engagements (Pilbara iron-ore, NWS LNG, and a critical-minerals refinery) that show the pattern:
an 80 MTPA ore-handling plant with 33 kV ring main and ball-mill drive train.
The engagement: DMIRS reportable incident on the ball-mill MCC arc flash event; full plant re-baseline against AS/NZS 4836 + Worksafe expectations + protection re-grading.
an LNG train with 132 kV intake and electric-drive refrigeration.
The engagement: NOPSEMA safety-case revision triggered full electrical-safety review; arc flash + insulation coordination + ground grid reconciliation across the train.
a lithium hydroxide refinery with 33 kV intake and 6.6 kV distribution.
The engagement: Insurance underwriter required arc-flash baseline before policy bind on the first-of-kind plant; IEEE 1584 study + AS/NZS 4836-aligned labels.
Buyer questions we hear consistently across DMIRS Notice of Energisation, AS/NZS 4836 sign-off, and Worksafe-driven conversations:
Tell us what scenario you need modelled in Australia. A simulation lead responds inside 24 hours.
Scope Your Plant