What is a digital twin? A plain guide for business

What it is

A digital twin is a virtual replica of a physical object, process or system. It is a dynamic model: as the real thing changes, the twin changes with it.

This lets teams monitor, analyse and improve the physical asset from a screen.

Image source: Siemens

How it works

The twin draws data from sources such as sensors and IoT devices on the physical asset. That data gives a complete, up-to-date view of how the asset is performing. Users can view a digital twin on computers, tablets and mobile phones.

With that view, a business can:

• Make decisions on real-time data rather than estimates
• Predict issues before they occur, reducing downtime and cost
• Use resources better, cutting waste
• Work together across locations in a shared virtual space

Image source: McKinsey & Company

Where it is used in industry

Manufacturing, healthcare, aviation and smart cities are the main users of digital twins.

• Manufacturing: simulating and improving production workflows to reduce downtime.
• Product development: virtual prototyping that reduces the need for physical prototypes.
• Aviation: predicting equipment failures so maintenance happens in time.
• Supply chains: real-time visibility of logistics to reduce delays.
• Energy grids: monitoring and managing power distribution.
• Buildings: designing, monitoring and managing buildings through their lifecycle.
• Smart cities: simulating infrastructure, from traffic flow to energy use.
• Healthcare: modelling patient conditions and simulating procedures for training.
• Agriculture: simulating crop conditions to plan irrigation and fertiliser use.
• Retail: understanding customer behaviour and planning store layouts.

Image source: Automation World

How we use it

Our IoT simulations bring live machine data onto a 3D model of your equipment, so teams and customers can see how a machine is performing. Talk to our team about the machines you want to model.