Forging the digital twin in discrete manufacturing

One of the key sources of digital change in the manufacturing enterprise is the digital twin. It provides a manufacturer with a unique set of sensor obtained information that extends across the lifespan of a product providing users with value enhancing data from configuration, to history and more; continuing to provide useful data downstream of the products initial delivery.

The value enhancing properties of the digital twin can be captured when two different twins are connected, creating a twin2twin ecosystem. A network of twins of differing industrial variants for the plant level, such as asset twins or process twins, are paramount for enabling engineers to constantly improve product and plant quality, equipment performance, and reduce down times.
 

The value the digital twin has brought to international companies such as Honda, Tesla, and Kreisel Electric has become an innovation and progressive boon for the automotive industry. Their reliance on a single source of information and digital replication of assets to bring products to market faster can be embraced by the mining and natural resources industries in order to see and experience their operations in the virtual world.

Collaboration between technology and retail stores, utilising digital twins, allows for an exchange of consumer information directly from the sales floor and into the virtual environment for analysis. An innovative solution put forth by Store Electronic Systems uses sensors to monitor live sales and feeds this data directly to the store’s digital twin. Real time analysis evaluates the stores planogram and suggests a more efficient layout, providing that information to store clerks who can respond to optimise their sales.

With the maturation of IoT and IIoT, as seen through the value it adds to industrial processes such as big data, analytics, and predictive maintenance, it has become an integral aspect of the data flow for the digital twin. While IIoT is seeing implementation across industries, automotive behemoths like Toyota are fast tracking its use to leverage real time sensor-collected data through the means of the digital twin. Car manufacturers are realising the benefits of utilising this data for analysis and data visualisation all in order to enhance design, manufacturing, and speed to market.