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Material flow analysis by means of discrete event simulation proved to be a useful tool for decision support by several studies. This case study presents a bottleneck analysis for an Austrian Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) production plant. The developed model was linked to actual production data and animated. The aim was to picture production, storage and transporting processes from the hot pressing of the boards through to shipping of batched costumer orders with sufficient accuracy. Different scenarios representing varying production programs and warehouse allocation principles were simulated. The results of the reference scenario showed good alignment to the corresponding factory data. At a production program with increased share of cut-to-size panels the saw turned into a bottleneck and the utilisation of the finished goods warehouse increased significantly. The simulation provided useful information about the capability of the production, transport and storage systems and their performance at altered conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]