A major US automotive manufacturer is planning a significant new facility spanning body in white, paint, general assembly, trim and final. Ahead of the build, the business needed a clear, tested, and documented set of standards for robot simulation and virtual commissioning to ensure consistency across all suppliers. Without agreed standards, different suppliers would approach virtual commissioning in different ways, different tools, model fidelity, and testing criteria, leading to inconsistency, rework, and integration risk once physical build began.
Duke Control Systems is working directly alongside the manufacturer's own engineering team to develop, test, and document new virtual commissioning standards spanning three simulation platforms: Siemens Process Simulate, FANUC Roboguide, and FE Screen Sim. To prove the standards before wider rollout, Duke is delivering a test case using a single PLC controlling 14 FANUC robots, developed and validated entirely against the emerging standards and subjected to an intensive testing process designed to surface any gaps before they hit a real programme. Duke is also producing the documentation needed for the standards to be adopted across the manufacturer's full supplier base.
The virtual commissioning standards were successfully developed, tested, and documented in full collaboration with the manufacturer's engineering team. The test case — a single PLC controlling 14 FANUC robots — was delivered, simulated, and validated entirely against the new standards, proving they hold up under an intensive testing process before wider rollout. With the standards and supporting documentation now complete, they are ready for adoption by all suppliers across the manufacturer's future programmes, giving the business a single, consistent specification for virtual commissioning from day one of the new facility build.
""Standards only work if everyone actually follows them. That means they have to be clear, testable, and realistic about what the tools can deliver. Getting that balance right is the hard part, and it is why this kind of work needs people who have actually done virtual commissioning on live programmes, not just written about it.""
Published with the express consent of both parties. The buyer chose to remain unnamed, so they are described by sector only. All quotes are unedited extracts from verified reviews.
