Witness (simulation software)
| Developer(s) | Haskoning |
|---|---|
| Engine | |
| Operating system | Windows |
| Type | Discrete-event simulation |
| License | Proprietary |
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Witness is discrete-event and continuous simulation modelling software. It was originally developed by Lanner Group Ltd, which was acquired by Haskoning (formerly Royal HaskoningDHV) in 2019.[1]
Witness connects physical assets, processes and resources into a single digital model that delivers actionable insights to make business operations and supply chains more resilient and efficient. By enabling users to build digital representations (digital twins) of processes, test alternative scenarios and assess their impact, Witness provides insight into how changes to layout, staffing or equipment (among other factors) affect performance and costs, before those changes are implemented in the real world.
Witness simulation software runs on Microsoft Windows. It is a major player in the market space, especially in consumer goods, manufacturing, automotive, energy and utilities, as well as maritime and ports.[1]
Developer history
Witness was developed by Lanner Group Ltd, a UK-based simulation software company formed in 1996 following a management buyout from AT&T Istel.[2]
In January 2019, Lanner and the WITNESS software were acquired by the Dutch engineering and consultancy firm Royal HaskoningDHV, which is now known as Haskoning.[3]
Primary purposes and notable usage
Witness simulation modelling software is used in operational, strategic, research, and academic contexts. It supports organisational and operational planning, investment evaluation, and business process analysis across multiple industries.[4]
Witness has been deployed in organisations across sectors including automotive, manufacturing, healthcare, nuclear, logistics, airports, and offshore wind. It is used for capacity planning, facility planning, bottleneck analysis, layout optimisation, and logistics process improvement.[5]
History
Origins linked to SEE WHY tool
Witness simulation software traces its origins to the SEE WHY visual interactive simulation tool. Programmed in Fortran 77 and launched in 1980, SEE WHY was the world’s first commercially available visual interactive simulation package. It was developed by BL Systems (later known as AT&T Istel) under the British Leyland umbrella.[6] [7]
Witness was one of the first industrial-strength 4GL simulation environments. It evolved into a commercial discrete-event and predictive simulation platform under Lanner Group Ltd, which was formed in 1996 following a management buyout of AT&T Istel. The software is now developed by Haskoning, which acquired Lanner and its Witness technology in 2019.[1]
Release timeline
Witness was launched as a commercial simulation system for IBM PCs in 1986 and has undergone frequent revisions and new versions over the last four decades.[8]
Recent releases have focused on user interface design, model-building efficiency, and usability. Interface changes have aligned Witness with interaction models used in CAD and process‑mapping tools, and ongoing updates have targeted improvements in navigation, panning, zooming, and selection to support more intuitive modelling workflows.[9]
| Year | Version | Summary of key features | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Witness 22.5 | Integration, easy connection to external data | |
| 2019 | Witness 23.0 | Visualisation 3D trace capture[10] | |
| 2020 | Witness 23.1 | Witness Experimenter, run length & replication analysis[11] | |
| 2021 | Witness 24.0 | Witness.io integration, speed to answers, scalable experimentation[12] | |
| 2022 | Witness 25.0 | Display properties, auto connect[13] | |
| 2023 | Witness 26.0 | Speed to build, modernise UI[14] | |
| 2024 | Witness 27.0 | User friendliness, debugger[15] | |
| 2025 | Witness 27d | Support ease of use with changes to interface and keyboard shortcuts[16] |
Acquisition events
The product was developed by Lanner Group Ltd, formed in 1996.[2] In 2019, Lanner was acquired by the Dutch engineering and consultancy firm Royal HaskoningDHV (now known as Haskoning).[3]
Academic and industry milestones
Witness has been used in industrial projects and partnerships with major manufacturers, reflecting its role in both research and real-world operational modelling.[17] The Witness User Conference regularly features speakers from organisations using the software, including those in sectors such as aerospace, automotive, and advanced manufacturing.[18]
Witness has multiple longstanding academic partnerships. As part of the Witness Academic Subscription Programme, the software has been used in numerous research projects, including work at the University of Cambridge in 2021 on AI-driven environmental sustainability in container port terminals.[19]
The software has also been incorporated into simulation, engineering, and manufacturing courses at institutions such as Michigan Technological University, the York Management School at the University of York, Loughborough University, and Manchester Metropolitan University.[20]
Features
Discrete-event and continuous modelling
Witness supports discrete-event simulation, continuous modelling, and hybrid approaches that combine both methods.[21]
- Discrete-event modelling represents systems as sequences of events that change system state, such as customer arrivals or machine breakdowns.
- Continuous modelling supports processes that vary continuously over time, such as fluid flow.
These approaches allow users to model both event-driven operations and process-based systems within the same environment, enabling analysis of a wide range of operational and strategic challenges.[21]
2D and 3D visualisation
Witness includes visual modelling capabilities that allow users to design models in 2D and switch to 3D for immersive visualisation.[22] Models may be displayed as facility layouts or abstract process flows, and 3D views can help communicate simulation outputs to stakeholders.
Optimisation via Witness Experimenter
The Witness Experimenter enables users to run multiple replications and scenario variations in parallel.[23] It supports repeated simulations with different input values—such as staffing levels, buffer sizes, or process rules—and allows comparison of results to identify improved or optimal system configurations.
Dynamic charts and reports provide predictive analysis and insights. Data can be linked, imported, edited within tables, and exported for external analysis.[23]
Integrations (Excel, SQL, CAD, BPM)
Witness supports integration with a range of external tools and data sources:[24]
- Links and data exchange with Excel and SQL-based databases
- CAD integration, enabling layout drawings from CAD software to be imported into simulation models
- Interfaces connecting simulation data with business process management or business intelligence tools; related technologies (such as L-Sim) can embed simulation engines within BPM environments
- Connectivity with external programming libraries (including C++, C#, VB.NET, and Python) for custom logic and integration workflows
Supported languages
Witness supports multiple interface languages, including English, French, German, Polish, Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish.[25]
Applications
Witness is used across industries including automotive, aerospace, food and beverage, LNG, logistics, and manufacturing.[26] By creating virtual models of existing and planned facilities and operations, organisations use Witness to test “what‑if” scenarios, support Industry 4.0 objectives, and optimise future‑state performance.[26]
Aerospace
Witness is used to model and analyse operational and maintenance processes across aerospace facilities and supply chains.[27] It supports planning, resource utilisation, and decision making by allowing users to test alternative scenarios, assess impacts on performance, optimise lead times, and support maintenance, repair, and overhaul programmes.
Automotive
Automotive manufacturers and suppliers use Witness to evaluate the effect of changing demand patterns and operational environments on lead times, costs, and production capacity.[28] It supports evidence‑based planning, reduces risks associated with process changes, and helps stakeholders understand modifications as the sector adapts to electrification and shifting customer expectations.
Aviation
Witness is used to support the planning and operation of airport systems, including passenger processing, baggage handling, security screening, and gate management.[29] It helps airports analyse interdependent service providers, assess regulatory and sustainability requirements, and improve passenger flow and operational efficiency.
Contact centres
Contact centres use Witness to balance staffing levels, response times, costs, and service targets.[30] It supports analysis of demand patterns, workforce structure, shift scheduling, and the integration of technologies such as conversational AI. Witness also provides dynamic charts and reports to communicate process improvements to stakeholders.
Food and beverage
Witness provides insight into production flows, packaging operations, scheduling, and maintenance planning in the food and beverage sector.[31] It is used in high‑volume production environments to address variability, meet evolving safety and nutritional requirements, and support process improvements that enhance resource utilisation and reduce disruption.
Healthcare
Witness is used to support planning and operational decision making in healthcare environments, including hospitals, pharmacies, and medical manufacturing facilities.[32] It helps organisations analyse clinical pathways, patient flows, and facility operations to assess productivity, costs, and quality‑of‑care impacts. It is also used to support stakeholder engagement for service improvement initiatives.
LNG
The Haskoning LNG Logistics Simulator is powered by Witness and provides configurable modules for liquefaction, shipping, and receiving terminals.[33] It is applied in long‑term horizon planning, verification assessments, annual demand planning, and operational optimisation. It has been used for major projects, including Indonesia’s Abadi LNG development operated by INPEX Masela Ltd.
Logistics and supply chain
Witness supports logistics and supply chain organisations in analysing performance across distribution networks and logistics hubs.[34] It helps identify capacity bottlenecks, evaluate automation or facility investments, assess service‑level impacts, and address sustainability objectives and supply chain resilience.
Manufacturing
Manufacturers use Witness predictive simulation to support strategic and operational decision making across facility design, production planning, and process optimisation.[35] It helps identify bottlenecks, understand operational dynamics, and evaluate the impact of fluctuations in demand or market conditions.
Nuclear
In the nuclear sector, Witness is used to support plant design, planning, and decommissioning activities.[36] It provides insight into safety, security, cost, and operational trade‑offs, helping organisations assess impacts on capital and operating expenditure and overall efficiency.
Renewable energy
Port planners, developers, manufacturers, regulators, and government bodies use Witness to plan renewable energy projects, including offshore wind infrastructure.[37] The software is used during early development to evaluate port strategies, installation plans, and operational requirements.
Academia and research
The Witness Academic Partnerships Programme provides universities with access to Witness software, learning resources, and support from Haskoning.[38] Witness is used in academic settings for research and teaching, offering opportunities for training, collaborative projects, workshops, and internships.
Witness is also provided as a simulation capability through the UK Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre’s Integrated Manufacturing Group at the University of Sheffield, part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult.[39]
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 <https://www.themanufacturer.com/press-releases/royal-haskoningdhv-acquires-lanner-strengthen-predictive-simulation-capabilities>
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑
- ↑ <https://www.informs-sim.org/wsc17papers/includes/files/007.pdf>
- ↑ <https:https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/81c29b5a-33bb-4273-8c1d-9957b6dd22df/content>
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ <https://support.royalhaskoningdhv.com/knowledgebase/article/?id=aed52296-431a-ee11-8f6c-000d3ab9af85>
- ↑ <https://support.royalhaskoningdhv.com/knowledgebase/article/?id=aed52296-431a-ee11-8f6c-000d3ab9af85>
- ↑ <https://www.bisinfotech.com/lanner-introduces-new-predictive-simulation-technology/>
- ↑ <https://support.royalhaskoningdhv.com/knowledgebase/article/?id=cb1e78ba-df05-ee11-8f6d-000d3ab9af85>
- ↑ <https://support.royalhaskoningdhv.com/knowledgebase/article/?id=24345ce0-c370-ee11-8179-0022489dd5d3
- ↑ <https://support.royalhaskoningdhv.com/knowledgebase/article/?id=5841df71-aba8-ef11-b8e9-002248995051>
- ↑ <https://support.royalhaskoningdhv.com/knowledgebase/article/?id=5841df71-aba8-ef11-b8e9-002248995051>
- ↑
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- ↑ 21.0 21.1
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- ↑ 23.0 23.1
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- ↑ 26.0 26.1
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