Freelance Discrete Event Simulation Jobs in Michigan

Industrial/Manufacturing Engineer – Throughput & Digital Twin - Warren, MI (Hybrid)

Travel: Approximately 50%
Job Type: Contract/Long-Term Opportunity

Position Overview:

We are seeking an Industrial or Manufacturing Engineer to support manufacturing throughput, production systems, and digital twin initiatives within automotive manufacturing operations.

This position is ideal for an engineer with strong experience in manufacturing processes, production systems, throughput analysis, line balancing, and PLC-controlled equipment. Direct experience with Discrete Event Simulation (DES) or Digital Twin technology is not required.

The engineer will work closely with Manufacturing Operations, Controls, Automation, and Execution teams to ensure production data is being collected accurately and that manufacturing throughput models accurately represent actual plant performance.

Key Responsibilities:

Manufacturing & Throughput Engineering

• Develop, maintain, and improve manufacturing throughput models based on current plant and production designs.
• Analyze production processes, cycle times, capacity, downtime, bottlenecks, and material flow.
• Compare planned production performance with actual plant performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Support line balancing, capacity studies, production planning, and manufacturing optimization activities.
• Assist with new manufacturing installations and production line implementations.
• Use manufacturing data to identify throughput issues and recommend corrective actions.

PLC & Manufacturing Systems

• Work with PLC-controlled manufacturing equipment to understand and validate production data.
• Review PLC signals, tags, machine states, production counts, cycle times, and equipment status.
• Monitor and troubleshoot manufacturing data collection systems.
• Identify issues with PLC-based data collection and work with Controls/Automation teams to correct problems.
• Verify that production equipment and data collection systems are implemented according to engineering requirements.
• Support troubleshooting of automated assembly equipment, robotics, testers, sensors, and other manufacturing systems.

Allen-Bradley/Rockwell and/or Siemens PLC experience is strongly preferred.

Digital Twin & Simulation Support

• Develop and update Discrete Event Simulation (DES) models representing manufacturing operations and throughput.
• Support the development of digital twin models for current and future manufacturing installations.
• Monitor digital twin performance and investigate discrepancies between simulated and actual production performance.
• Ensure manufacturing data is accurately represented within throughput models.
• Support the transition of throughput models and data requirements to manufacturing execution teams.
• Direct DES or Digital Twin experience is not required; training can be provided to candidates with strong manufacturing and PLC experience.

Manufacturing Data & Documentation

• Develop data collection requirements for new manufacturing installations.
• Document throughput models, data requirements, and manufacturing processes.
• Review and maintain data mappings between manufacturing equipment and throughput systems.
• Ensure production data is collected consistently and accurately.
• Analyze manufacturing data and provide recommendations to improve throughput and system performance.

Cross-Functional Support

• Collaborate with Manufacturing, Controls, Automation, Engineering, and Execution teams.
• Work with engineering teams to establish manufacturing throughput and data collection standards.
• Support plant teams with throughput analysis and manufacturing improvement initiatives.
• Provide technical training and support related to throughput tools and data collection processes.
• Serve as a liaison between Manufacturing Operations and engineering teams supporting throughput studies.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience in automotive or high-volume manufacturing strongly preferred.
• Strong experience with manufacturing processes, production systems, throughput, capacity, or line balancing.
• Hands-on experience working with PLC-controlled manufacturing equipment.
• Ability to understand and troubleshoot PLC signals, machine states, I/O, production counts, and manufacturing data.
• Experience with Allen-Bradley/Rockwell, ControlLogix, CompactLogix, Studio 5000, RSLogix, Siemens, or similar PLC platforms.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work with cross-functional engineering and manufacturing teams.
• Strong understanding of production processes, equipment, cycle time, downtime, and throughput.
• Willingness to travel approximately 50% to manufacturing facilities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with manufacturing automation, robotics, or controls.
• Experience with production data collection or manufacturing execution systems.
• Experience with capacity analysis, line balancing, Modapts, MOST, or similar industrial engineering methods.
• Experience with manufacturing simulation or discrete event simulation.
• Experience with Digital Twin technology.
• Experience with tools such as Tecnomatix Plant Simulation, FlexSim, AnyLogic, or similar simulation platforms.
• Experience with MES, SCADA, PLC-to-database communication, or manufacturing data systems.
• Automotive OEM or Tier 1 manufacturing experience.

Ideal Candidate:

The ideal candidate is an Industrial or Manufacturing Engineer who understands how a real production plant operates and has strong exposure to PLC-controlled equipment and manufacturing data.

You do not need to be a dedicated simulation or Digital Twin engineer. We are especially interested in candidates who have experience with line balancing, throughput, capacity, production systems, automation, PLC troubleshooting, and manufacturing process improvement and are interested in applying those skills to digital manufacturing and simulation.

Branex Group is a Minority-owned Technical Staffing firm headquartered in Auburn Hills, MI. We are a Certified Women’s Owned Business through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). We specialize in Engineering, Information Technology, Robotics, Human Resources, and Finance opportunities across the United States.

Branex Group is committed to being an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We ensure all applicants and employees are considered without discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, genetics, or any other protected characteristic by State and Federal laws.

Branex Group offers the following benefits:
- Medical Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision insurance
- Paid time off
- 401(k)

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.