New capability builds on 4Ward Factory’s 3D models to serve structural component manufacturers and volumetric modular producers
4Ward Factory, a 4Ward Solutions Group company, announces the introduction of 3D factory simulation for offsite construction, expanding its existing 3D modeling service for truss, wall panel and modular plants. This new virtual factory simulation capability lets owners, operators, and investors see how factories will run before they’re built, expanded, or repurposed. Users can watch how lumber, panels, and modules will move from station to station, resulting in faster labor on-boarding, investor confidence, and improved efficiency.
Long established as a powerful tool in aerospace and automotive manufacturing, virtual simulation is now coming to offsite manufacturing through 4Ward Factory, creating new opportunities for offsite construction plant design and optimization. Traditional AutoCAD drawings and blueprints, while essential to facility design, often fail to communicate how a factory will really operate. For investors, business owners, and operational leaders, understanding how equipment, people, materials, and production processes interact is critical to making informed decisions. “In today’s market, plant and factory owners want a lean operation with steady production,” explains 4Ward Solutions Group CEO Ben Hershey. “That often means investing in equipment or technology, modifying the workforce, and then introducing these changes into new or existing workflows. Simulation gives owners and operators an unparalleled opportunity to evaluate factory layouts, workflows, and equipment placement scenarios before decisions are made.”
4Ward Factory Offsite Industrial Engineer Darren Hamar adds, “It can be hard to get buy-in from investors and labor on an idea that’s difficult to visualize. This new capability closes the gap between imagining what’s possible and actually seeing it, as if you were in the factory watching the workflow run. This also proves useful for owners who want to use it as part of their grant applications and marketing media to attract and train new hires.”
From Static to Moving Factory
The biggest difference between a blueprint, 3D model, and simulation is movement. “A blueprint or even 3D model is static,” said Darren. “A 3D model is built in the virtual world so you can look at it, spin it around, and walk through it, but the factory operations aren’t in motion. Think of a simulation like a cartoon. It’s working, it’s operating, and you can watch a piece of lumber as it moves through timed steps as a truss is manufactured.”
For new facilities, 4Ward provides 3D modeling for modular construction factories, truss manufacturing plants, and wall panel operations by developing detailed digital models from architectural drawings and planned equipment specifications. For existing plants, a 4Ward field team member goes on-site to capture the operation with a 3D camera and take targeted measurements.
From there, a working model is created with the building and equipment to scale. “The 3D modeling as the first step is invaluable regardless of whether it’s a greenfield or brownfield environment,” said Darren. “For example, we had already 3D modeled a client’s factory, and they chose to place a saw without testing it in the model first. During a call with them about another project, they mentioned this saw, so I opened their model and told them the column should have had to move 2’ to the left for them to get access to the saw motor. They said that’s exactly what happened, and in the 30 seconds it took me to see that they could’ve saved thousands in lost production and down time trying to move the column instead of planning for it in the beginning. They have now mandated for all their locations to reference the 3D model before making any new equipment or layout changes.”
For structural component plants and volumetric modular factories, adding simulation to the 3D model creates new opportunities for offsite manufacturing workflow optimization. By evaluating changes in equipment placement, staffing, material flow, and production sequencing, manufacturers can identify potential bottlenecks, test alternative operating scenarios, and better understand how decisions in one area of the factory impact the entire production process. Darren explains, “So, if you add an extra saw in, now you’re creating more wood, so now do you need an extra guy to run the wood out to the tables? Using simulation allows you to play around with variables so you can improve your efficiency and accommodate changes across every step in the process.”
Applications include:
- Investor, lender and grant presentations for new plants
- Training and onboarding for workers
- Recruiting and marketing videos that show the plant in operation
- Testing layouts, equipment and staffing changes
- Planning greenfield and brownfield facilities before construction begins
Simulate Your Plant
To get a simulation of your future or existing plant, the process starts with a discovery call with the 4Ward team. From there, we present a scoped proposal that includes a 3D model as the foundation. We add variables such as time studies based on the simulation goal, and pricing varies accordingly.
To learn more, visit www.4WardConsult.com, or meet us in person at the LBM Strategies Conference in Milwaukee October 14-15, 2026, The East Coast Facotry Innovation Roundtable in Lewisburg, PA Oct 28, 2026, LMC Expo in Philadelphia October 28-30, 2026, SBCA Open Quarterly Meeting in Charlotte December 8-10, 2026, or at the World of Modular event, April 5-8, 2027 in Orlando, Florida.
About 4Ward Factory
4Ward Factory, a 4Ward Solutions Group company, offers 3D digital modeling and simulation for structural component and volumetric modular manufacturers.
About 4Ward Solutions Group
4Ward Solutions Group helps offsite manufacturers plan, build, and scale operations that are built to last. Founded in 2010 by Ben Hershey, a veteran of the offsite construction industry, the company partners with modular, panelized, and structural building component manufacturers, bringing hands-on expertise in consulting, design, workforce development, robotics and automation, software, and supply chain. The 4Ward family of brands includes 4Ward Design, 4Ward Foundry, 4Ward Factory, 4Ward Workforce, Innovative Offsite, and Moducore.
