AggOpti: New AggFlow Menu Feature

  • ​How efficient is your plant? AggOpti can tell you that.
  • How efficient can it be if you run it differently? AggOpti can tell you that, too.

AggOpti, our new, easy-to-use menu feature in AggFlow, is now available through a regular AggFlow software update. Accessible as a menu item (see graphic) within the online AggFlow DM program, it is designed to apply your past and current plant production data, sales results and forecasts, to calculate both your past and optimum plant efficiencies. The program will show you how you can improve your efficiency moving forward.

AggOpti is available for all users – currently at no cost.

We have found over the years that operators can guess at their plant’s efficiency, but most don’t really know the true percentage. Efficiency is defined as plant availability times its utilization.

If a plant is running 80% of the time it is scheduled to run, that is its availability.
If its capacity is 1,000 tph and it is averaging 900 tph of actual production, the plant utilization is 90%.
Multiplying both amounts results in the plant’s efficiency of 72%.

AggOpti can provide an accurate calculation of the plant’s past or current efficiency in all of its operating modes. It also calculates the best combination of operating modes for the producer to use going forward to meet sales forecasts and achieve the highest efficiency possible. It will enable producers to match a plant simulation to a sales forecast and solve for the most effective schedule to give the highest efficiency and revenue. AggOpti will show, by plant stage, the achievable and shortfall sales, inventory changes, plant production and plant running costs by month for the sales forecast period.

AggOpti requires a completed AggFlow simulation for the plant, including all operating modes. The AggFlow user then clicks the AggOpti option on the menu, and the program uploads stage and mode production results from the AggFlow simulation, along with actual measured production rates, into the web-based AggOpti application. AggOpti enables users to enter sales forecast and plant operating conditions, and then solve for the best combination of operating modes to meet the sales forecast – while achieving the highest efficiency and revenue possible. Once their password-protected AggOpti database is created, additional users (with permissions) can open AggOpti as a web-based application to access and manage a forecast plan based on the AggFlow plant simulation results. With AggOpti, producers can better schedule production, and easily set KPIs to track and ensure that sales commitments can be met.

If the plant is not capable of achieving a desirable efficiency through its operating modes, the user can add different equipment into the simulation, and export the data again to calculate “what if” scenarios for improving efficiency.

This makes AggOpti ideal not only for producers, but also for manufacturers and dealers who use AggFlow to help their customers achieve greater efficiency in their plants.