TO IMPROVE CONTROL SOFTWARE TESTING, DECREASE INSTALLATION TIME, AND QUANTIFY CONTROL SYSTEM RESPONSE TIMES, A LEADING MANUFACTURER OF PAPER ROLL FINISHING LINE EQUIPMENT FOR THE PULP AND PAPER INDUSTRY TURNED TO SIMULATION. A DETAILED DISCRETE-EVENT SIMULATION MODEL OF THE ROLL FINISHING LINE AND ACCOMPANYING ANIMATION SCREEN WERE DEVELOPED, VERIFIED AND VALIDATED AGAINST KNOWN PRODUCTION DATA. SIMULATION ALLOWED THE LINE TO BE TUNED FOR MAXIMUM THEORETICAL THROUGHPUT. THE MODEL WAS THEN CONVERTED FOR REAL-TIME TESTING USE BY SYNCHRONIZING THE SIMULATION CLOCK TO REAL-TIME AND ADDING A COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACE. THE SUPERVISORY COMPUTER RECEIVED INFORMATION ABOUT THE STATE OF THE ROLL FINISHING LINE FROM THE SIMULATION, AND THE SIMULATION RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM THE SUPERVISORY COMPUTER ON ROLL SEQUENCING.