10 Real-World Wins for Simulation in Industrial Process Automation

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Simulation technology is becoming central to how the world’s most complex industrial operations are designed, tested, and optimized. From chemical plants and gas turbines to oil rigs and automotive lines, digital twins and their simulation capabilities are saving time, reducing emissions, and unlocking efficiency gains that were nearly impossible just a decade ago.

In this post, we highlight 10 real-world examples of how simulation is transforming process automation across industries. Many of these projects have been live and delivering results for several years, helping teams improve environmental performance, future-proof legacy systems, and uncover new efficiencies long after launch. 

Each project tackled a different challenge—but all found success by using a virtual environment.

BMW: Real-Time Factory Simulation 

BMW is taking simulation to the next level with its adoption of NVIDIA Omniverse—a platform that allows teams around the world to co-develop and visualize a factory in a shared 3D virtual environment. From the earliest stages of layout planning to robotics deployment, BMW uses Omniverse to streamline collaboration, reduce time-to-launch, and optimize safety.

With NVIDIA Isaac Sim, BMW even trains logistics robots in photo-realistic simulated environments using synthetic data and domain randomization. Factory reconfigurations that once took months can now be simulated, tested, and optimized digitally, saving costs and minimizing disruption to global production. This is digital transformation in action—at scale.

Protecting $181M in Gas Turbine Production

A global gas turbine manufacturer simulated its multi-year project portfolio using AnyLogic to determine risks to its profit forecast. The simulation focused on how different work-in-progress (WIP) strategies impacted financial outcomes under shifting constraints.

The results were eye-opening: with the right WIP controls, the company could avoid a projected $181 million loss while increasing profitability. Simulation helped stakeholders visualize long-term outcomes, improve resource planning, and make data-driven decisions—before committing real dollars.

SGAR: Speeding Up Automation Projects by 30% 

SGAR, a Spanish industrial automation firm, faced the challenge of meeting tight deadlines while maintaining accuracy for clients in automotive and infrastructure. By transitioning from Robcad to Siemens Process Simulate, the company improved its ability to simulate robotic systems and validate code before deployment.

The shift brought significant benefits. SGAR reduced project time by roughly 30%, enhanced its documentation workflow, and improved simulation accuracy—especially in identifying bottlenecks early in production lines. Their small simulation team can now take on bigger, more complex projects with greater confidence and efficiency.

Vattenfall: Simulating Berlin’s Transition to Green District Heating

At Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, energy provider Vattenfall and Siemens Energy introduced a high-temperature heat pump that recovers waste heat and transforms it into green district heating. To design and test this system, Vattenfall used SIMIT to simulate its integration into the existing energy infrastructure.

Simulation enabled thorough training and validation of every component—from turbines to steam cycles—before installation. The heat pump now delivers an additional 55 GWh of green heat annually, saving 6,500 metric tons of CO₂ and reducing reliance on cooling towers. The pilot project not only proved the technical feasibility of this new energy model but highlighted simulation’s role in advancing climate-friendly infrastructure.

Ingemat: Virtual Commissioning for Automotive Quality and Speed

Ingemat, an engineering company specializing in robotic systems for the automotive sector, turned to Siemens Process Simulate to reduce stress and time constraints in its production line deployments. Traditionally, the process of integrating robots and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) into physical installations was time-consuming and error-prone.

Now, using simulation, Ingemat’s mechanical, robotics, and controls engineering teams can work at the same time to validate programs before anything hits the shop floor. The results: 

  • 90% of the production line is ready before physical implementation

  • On-site debugging time drops by 40%

  • Project costs are reduced 

The company has embraced simulation not just as a tool—but as a foundational way of working.

Solvay: Future-Proofing Chemical Manufacturing 

At its Chalampé facility in France, chemical company Solvay faced a significant challenge: migrating to a new process control system without disrupting continuous production. To pull it off, the company used Siemens SIMIT and COMOS Walkinside to build a digital twin for testing, operator training, and virtual commissioning.

This lifecycle approach helped Solvay rehearse the entire migration process safely and in detail. The result was faster recommissioning, enhanced productivity, and a lower risk of unexpected downtime. The facility now operates with improved operational safety and a scalable digital infrastructure to support Solvay’s broader “Factory of the Future” vision.

Pressure Dynamics: Diagnosing a Crane Fault Offshore

Repeated failures in a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) port crane prompted Australian firm Pressure Dynamics to develop a full-system digital twin—including hydraulics, controls, and electrical systems. Using this virtual model, engineers ran simulations of different fault scenarios based on real-world operational data.

The simulations revealed a root-cause design flaw without requiring costly trial-and-error fixes or delaying FPSO operations. With targeted corrections, the system returned to a fault-free state—demonstrating the value of simulation not just in planning, but in rapid diagnostics for complex offshore equipment.

ADNOC Sour Gas: Tuning Petrochemical Performance 

To optimize condensate yield and reduce emissions, ADNOC Sour Gas turned to simulation models. These process digital twins allowed engineers to tweak key settings and evaluate the downstream impact in real time.

Not only did the adjustments improve output, but the simulation also contributed to ADNOC’s sustainability goals by cutting greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a clear example of how simulation can drive both operational excellence and environmental performance in the petrochemical industry.

Transocean: Accelerating Well Construction 

Offshore drilling giant Transocean applied AnyLogic to create a hybrid digital twin of its well-tripping process. By simulating crew behavior, equipment status, and process timing across multiple rigs, the company gained insight into where inefficiencies and delays were occurring.

This systems-level view helped identify a 20% potential time savings—representing millions in avoided costs. For an industry where downtime is measured in dollars per minute, simulation proved to be a strategic advantage in well construction.

Acciona: Remote Commissioning of a Desalination Plant

As the pandemic shut down global operations in 2020, Spanish infrastructure firm Acciona was preparing to commission Al-Khobar 1, one of Saudi Arabia’s largest desalination plants. Instead of halting progress, the team used Siemen’s SIMIT simulation software and a digital twin to perform virtual commissioning, system validation, and operator training—entirely remotely.

The digital twin mirrored real-time plant behavior and allowed for secure, real-world testing of automation systems. Without needing full on-site staff, Acciona avoided costly delays, ensured quality, and demonstrated how simulation can keep mission-critical infrastructure projects on track even under extraordinary circumstances.

Simulation Is the New First Step

For process automation efforts, simulation is helping engineers and operators gain clarity in complex environments. Whether it’s spotting design flaws, cutting project time, improving environmental performance, or future-proofing control systems, simulation is helping industrial companies do more—with less risk.

And as these examples show, it doesn’t matter if you're moving water, building robots, or drilling into the sea floor—simulate first, and success often follows. The best way to validate a process isn’t always on-site—sometimes it’s on-screen.