Four ways to use digital twin technology in your business

The problem: you cannot experiment on a running plant

Manufacturers want higher production efficiency, less downtime and a more reliable supply chain. But testing changes on live equipment or processes is risky and disruptive, and problems often show up only after a machine has stopped.

The idea: a live virtual copy

A digital twin is a virtual replica or simulation of a physical product, process or system. Because it mirrors the real thing, you can monitor, analyse and optimise it in real time without disrupting the actual operation. Digital twins of manufacturing processes and equipment help raise production efficiency, reduce downtime and improve supply chain management.

Examples from industry

• Unilever began digital twinning its production with a 2019 pilot at a factory in Brazil, with the goal of connecting 300 plants around the world that make soap and other consumer staples. That saved the company US$2.8 million.
• Bridgestone is developing a commercial smart tyre that uses a digital twin to predict how long tyres will last and when they need replacing.
• BMW is using digital twin technology to create a virtual factory, giving it insight to improve workflows and fine-tune operations.

Four practical uses

We discussed these uses in a LinkedIn event, "Exploring Digital Twin Technology Solutions for Industry 4.0", with Parso.ai.

1. Predictive maintenance

A digital twin of a machine, vehicle or piece of industrial equipment is continuously updated with real-time data from sensors on the real asset. This allows:

• Real-time monitoring: spot deviations from normal operation before they cause downtime.
• Anomaly detection: machine learning finds patterns in the twin's data and predicts when maintenance is needed.
• Better maintenance scheduling: plan maintenance during planned downtime, which cuts unplanned stoppages.

2. Supply chain management

A twin of the whole supply chain network gives:

• End-to-end visibility of goods in transit, inventory levels and production.
• Risk assessment: predict delays or shortages and prepare contingency plans.
• Demand forecasting: plan inventory more accurately and avoid overstocking or stockouts.

3. Training

Twins provide realistic simulations for industries such as healthcare, aviation and manufacturing. Trainees practise on a virtual copy of a complex system without risk, face realistic scenarios that build problem-solving skills, and get new scenarios as the twin is updated.

4. Employee onboarding

New employees can take a virtual tour of the workplace, learn its processes and layout through interactive guides, and complete training simulations for their role. Exploring the virtual workspace before their first day makes the transition smoother.

How to apply it

Pick one use with a clear cost attached, such as unplanned downtime on a critical line, and build the twin around it. Before you start, plan for data security, the work needed to integrate with your existing systems, and the resources the project will need.

Parso, the platform discussed at our event, is built on the experience of SEKAI, which serves clients such as Siemens Energy, Hitachi and Shemaroo. SEKAI developed the core building blocks behind Parso and holds patents for several of its features.

Next step

If you want to see live machine data on a 3D model or explore a digital twin for your plant, talk to our team about our IoT simulations.

First published on the Metaverse911 blog.