diff --git a/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/axis_differentiator_test.sv b/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/axis_differentiator_test.sv
index 7653f12..54a21a1 100644
--- a/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/axis_differentiator_test.sv
+++ b/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/axis_differentiator_test.sv
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import sim_util_pkg::*;
+
 `timescale 1ns / 1ps
 module axis_differentiator_test();
 
@@ -20,6 +22,8 @@ int_t received[$];
 int_t expected[$];
 int_t sent[$];
 
+sim_util_pkg::generic #(int_t) util;
+
 always @(posedge clk) begin
   if (reset) begin
     data_in_if.data <= '0;
@@ -45,10 +49,6 @@ always @(posedge clk) begin
   end
 end
 
-function int_t abs(input int_t x);
-  return (x < 0) ? -x : x;
-endfunction
-
 task check_results();
   $display("received.size() = %0d", received.size());
   $display("expected.size() = %0d", expected.size());
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ task check_results();
   // check the values match, like with axis_x2_test, the rounding could lead
   // to an off-by-one error
   while (received.size() > 0 && expected.size() > 0) begin
-    if (abs(expected[$] - received[$]) > 1) begin
+    if (util.abs(expected[$] - received[$]) > 1) begin
       $warning("mismatch: got %x, expected %x", received[$], expected[$]);
       error_count = error_count + 1;
     end
diff --git a/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/axis_width_converter_test.sv b/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/axis_width_converter_test.sv
index 465a562..aaae838 100644
--- a/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/axis_width_converter_test.sv
+++ b/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/axis_width_converter_test.sv
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import sim_util_pkg::*;
+
 `timescale 1ns / 1ps
 module axis_width_converter_test();
 
@@ -16,8 +18,8 @@ localparam int UP = 8;
 localparam int COMB_UP = 4;
 localparam int COMB_DOWN = 3;
 
-`define MAX(A,B) (A > B) ? A : B
-localparam int DWIDTH = `MAX(`MAX(`MAX(DWIDTH_DOWN_IN, DWIDTH_UP_IN*UP), (DWIDTH_COMB_IN*COMB_UP)/COMB_DOWN), DWIDTH_COMB_IN);
+sim_util_pkg::sample_discriminator_util util;
+localparam int DWIDTH = util.max(util.max(util.max(DWIDTH_DOWN_IN, DWIDTH_UP_IN*UP), (DWIDTH_COMB_IN*COMB_UP)/COMB_DOWN), DWIDTH_COMB_IN);
 
 Axis_If #(.DWIDTH(DWIDTH_DOWN_IN)) downsizer_in ();
 Axis_If #(.DWIDTH(DWIDTH_DOWN_IN/DOWN)) downsizer_out ();
@@ -107,7 +109,7 @@ localparam [2:0][31:0] WORD_SIZE = '{
   DWIDTH_DOWN_IN/DOWN       // downsizer
 };
 
-localparam MAX_WORD_SIZE = `MAX(`MAX(WORD_SIZE[0],WORD_SIZE[1]),WORD_SIZE[2]);
+localparam MAX_WORD_SIZE = util.max(util.max(WORD_SIZE[0],WORD_SIZE[1]),WORD_SIZE[2]);
 logic [MAX_WORD_SIZE-1:0] sent_word, received_word;
 
 // update data and track sent/received samples
diff --git a/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/axis_x2_test.sv b/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/axis_x2_test.sv
index 7ca8eba..83eabb4 100644
--- a/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/axis_x2_test.sv
+++ b/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/axis_x2_test.sv
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 `timescale 1ns / 1ps
 module axis_x2_test();
 
+
 int error_count = 0;
 
 logic reset;
@@ -21,6 +22,8 @@ real d_in;
 int_t received[$];
 int_t expected[$];
 
+sim_util_pkg::generic #(int_t) util;
+
 always @(posedge clk) begin
   if (reset) begin
     data_in_if.data <= '0;
@@ -42,10 +45,6 @@ always @(posedge clk) begin
   end
 end
 
-function int_t abs(input int_t x);
-  return (x < 0) ? -x : x;
-endfunction
-
 task check_results();
   $display("received.size() = %0d", received.size());
   $display("expected.size() = %0d", expected.size());
@@ -56,7 +55,7 @@ task check_results();
   // check the values match
   // casting to uint_t seems to perform a rounding operation, so the test data may be slightly too large
   while (received.size() > 0 && expected.size() > 0) begin
-    if (abs(expected[$] - received[$]) > 1) begin
+    if (util.abs(expected[$] - received[$]) > 1) begin
       $warning("mismatch: got %x, expected %x", received[$], expected[$]);
       error_count = error_count + 1;
     end
diff --git a/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/sample_discriminator_test.sv b/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/sample_discriminator_test.sv
index c6ad7bb..453a888 100644
--- a/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/sample_discriminator_test.sv
+++ b/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/sample_discriminator_test.sv
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ localparam int PARALLEL_SAMPLES = 4;
 localparam int SAMPLE_INDEX_WIDTH = 14;
 localparam int CLOCK_WIDTH = 50;
 
+sim_util_pkg::sample_discriminator_util #(.SAMPLE_WIDTH(SAMPLE_WIDTH), .PARALLEL_SAMPLES(PARALLEL_SAMPLES)) util;
+
 Axis_If #(.DWIDTH(N_CHANNELS*SAMPLE_WIDTH*2)) config_in();
 Axis_Parallel_If #(.DWIDTH(SAMPLE_WIDTH*PARALLEL_SAMPLES), .PARALLEL_CHANNELS(N_CHANNELS)) data_in();
 Axis_Parallel_If #(.DWIDTH(SAMPLE_WIDTH*PARALLEL_SAMPLES), .PARALLEL_CHANNELS(N_CHANNELS)) data_out();
@@ -87,7 +89,6 @@ task check_results (
   inout logic [N_CHANNELS-1:0][SAMPLE_INDEX_WIDTH-1:0] sample_index,
   inout logic [N_CHANNELS-1:0] is_high
 );
-  sim_util_pkg::sample_discriminator_util #(.SAMPLE_WIDTH(SAMPLE_WIDTH), .PARALLEL_SAMPLES(PARALLEL_SAMPLES)) util;
   for (int i = 0; i < N_CHANNELS; i++) begin
     // process each channel, first check that we received an appropriate amount of data
     $display("data_sent[%0d].size() = %0d", i, data_sent[i].size());
diff --git a/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/sim_util_pkg.sv b/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/sim_util_pkg.sv
index 3d8aae7..9184be3 100644
--- a/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/sim_util_pkg.sv
+++ b/dds_test.srcs/sim_1/new/sim_util_pkg.sv
@@ -40,4 +40,16 @@ package sim_util_pkg;
   
   endclass
 
+  class generic #(type T=int);
+
+    function T max(input T A, input T B);
+      return (A > B) ? A : B;
+    endfunction
+
+    function T abs(input T x);
+      return (x < 0) ? -x : x;
+    endfunction
+
+  endclass
+
 endpackage