A structured immersive simulation approach for developing system-level decision-making skills in industrial production and logistics

Increasing industrial complexity has made the interactions among production, quality, reliability, and logistics processes progressively more difficult to understand through static process representations or conventional screen-based simulation tools alone. In industrial systems, operational decisions often generate cascading effects across interconnected subsystems, requiring engineers and operators to develop a system-level understanding of process dynamics and interdependencies. This paper proposes an immersive simulation approach to support the exploration and understanding of industrial process dynamics through interactive and immersive environments. Rather than focusing on virtual reality as a visualization technology alone, the proposed approach combines immersive interaction with discrete-event simulation models that reproduce the operational behavior of industrial production and logistics systems. Users can directly manipulate operational variables and observe how changes propagate across throughput, bottleneck formation, quality dynamics, machine availability, inventory behavior, and resource utilization. The approach is structured around the identification of key operational dynamics and their translation into immersive simulation scenarios representing critical aspects of industrial production and logistics systems. Seven simulation scenarios were developed and deployed in a controlled course-based environment involving 32 participants, using industrial-grade simulation tools and VR technologies. Although implemented in an educational context, the scenarios are grounded in industrial operational dynamics and are discussed in terms of their transferability to industrial training and capability-development settings. Participant feedback indicated high perceived improvements in conceptual clarity (average rating of 4.81 out of 5), understanding of process interdependencies and the connection between theoretical models and operational system behavior (4.53 out of 5). Results also highlighted the role of immersive interaction in supporting active exploration of process dynamics and operational trade-offs. The paper contributes to the literature on operational capability development by demonstrating how immersive simulation environments can support the understanding of complex industrial process dynamics and provide interactive representations of operational knowledge that are difficult to communicate through conventional analytical or training approaches.