The design of extraction columns is usually based on lab-scale and pilot-plant experiments. A new alternative design approach is based on lab-scale experiments with single drops to quantify mass transfer and drop sedimentation. From these experiments, liquid-liquid system specific parameters for the simulation of the extraction column are obtained. This approach has been successfully validated for standard-test systems and shall now be established in industrial practice. As part of this, separation performance and flooding limits measured with pilot-plant experiments are compared to simulation results that are obtained on the basis of single-drop experiments. The challenges that come with the simulation of industrial systems are presented and discussed.