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Imagine being able to assess, visualize, and improve your business processes without disrupting your daily operations. You can achieve this with digital twin technology. According to Gartner, over 40% of large enterprises are expected to adopt digital twins for operational excellence by 2027.
Digital twin applications are transforming various industries, including healthcare and automotive manufacturing. These virtual models help lower costs and improve efficiency. For example, creating a digital twin of an entire factory can help managers make informed decisions and predict equipment failures before they happen.
This article provides real-world examples of digital twins and explains why they are becoming increasingly essential. Keep reading to learn how your business can benefit from this technology.
Reimagine Operations Without Disruption
Digital twins are transforming the way industries operate by creating virtual representations of physical assets or processes. Examining real-life examples from major companies that utilize this technology can help you understand its potential and various applications across different sectors.
Manufacturing Gets Smarter and Faster
Digital twins are now widely used in product development to enhance manufacturing efficiency. These advanced tools track production lines by monitoring key factors, such as temperature and pressure. Also, speed and environmental conditions help spot defects. Moreover, digital twins provide guidance for preventive maintenance, enabling the identification of issues before they lead to costly breakdowns. This approach reduces downtime and enhances product reliability. Here is how Rolls-Royce does it.
Example: Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce employs digital twins as part of its “IntelligentEngine” initiative. This aviation program generates digital replicas for every engine manufactured. By doing so, they can collect data from over a dozen parameters through onboard sensors. The innovation allows them to observe the engine’s performance in real-time during flights, anticipate maintenance requirements, and minimize downtime.
The primary objective of this plan is to transform the way they deliver power to their clients. The Rolls-Royce team wants to enhance the reliability and efficiency of engines while simultaneously improving the overall customer experience.
Next-Level Automotive Design and Maintenance
In the automotive sector, digital twins enhance design and aftermarket services. They allow engineers to test designs without creating physical prototypes, optimize manufacturing processes to reduce downtime, and enable predictive maintenance to service vehicles before issues arise. As the market shifts to electric vehicles, the importance of digital twins continues to grow, playing a crucial role in their development and maintenance.
Example: Volvo
Volvo, the renowned car manufacturer known for prioritizing passenger safety, utilizes digital twins to assess and analyze the materials and aerodynamics of new vehicle designs. With this, they can select the optimal design that enhances performance and produces fuel-efficient vehicles.
Building Projects You Can See Before You Build
Most people care about how a building will look in the end, but the engineer’s primary concern is whether it can handle earthquakes and other natural disasters. Digital twins in construction can help assess various scenarios, such as design changes or weather disruptions, without disrupting ongoing work.
These virtual models offer real-time insights into how the asset is configured and operates, enabling companies to visualize lighting, space capacity, and other key aspects. Additionally, digital twins can contribute to more sustainable building practices. Discover how they promote eco-friendly construction methods.
Example: Crossrail, London
Crossrail represents a significant infrastructure initiative in London. Their engineers employed digital twins to create visual representations of the ultimate outcome. They leveraged digital twins to model and enhance the construction process, monitoring for potential issues that could arise. This not only showed them the entire process from start to finish, ensuring the project is safe, but it also facilitated a more seamless workflow. Lastly, they improved their resource utilization, thereby reducing waste.
Safer and More Efficient Oil and Gas Operations
In an industry where daily losses can reach millions due to downtime, companies like Shell and BP have deemed digital twins essential for oil and gas operations. They provide real-time monitoring of offshore platforms, pipelines, and refineries, anticipate equipment malfunctions before they occur, and enhance safety, all through a digital twin model.
Even small issues in the oil and gas arena can lead to significant financial losses and environmental harm. For example, unplanned equipment failure from an offshore platform can incur costs of up to $3 million each day. This is the reason companies are turning to digital twin technology to tackle problems proactively.
Example: BP’s Offshore Platforms
BP uses digital twins to monitor its offshore platforms to reflect real-time data from sensors on the platform. The technology enables engineers to track important factors, such as pressure and equipment performance, allowing them to identify problems early.
For example, if a pump has unusual vibrations or if temperatures rise unexpectedly, the digital twin alerts the engineers. That is how BP can avoid costly breakdowns and achieve significant savings in operating costs. In terms of safety, digital twins help reduce the risk of accidents, making operations safer for workers and the environment.
Healthcare That Learns and Adapts
Digital twins in healthcare enhance patient care and enable effective staff training. They empower healthcare providers to simulate situations during diagnostics, leading to more accurate diagnoses and fewer unnecessary tests.
Additionally, these virtual replicas model facility operations, improving patient flow and resource management. By running simulations, hospitals can identify inefficiencies and optimize scheduling and bed usage for timely treatment.
In clinical trials, digital twins play a crucial role in creating personalized treatment models for each patient, significantly enhancing the quality of care.
Example: Össur
Össur is a well-known company that makes prosthetics and orthopedic solutions. They use digital twin technology to create custom prosthetics for individuals. This technology helps ensure that the prosthetics fit better and are more comfortable. Designers can test and change different designs using this mode to customize prosthetic limbs. The process helps create a personalized fit and ensures optimal performance for each patient.
Transportation Planning for a Smarter Future
Digital twins can create a virtual representation of transportation systems, from roads to trains. They replicate how these systems function under different circumstances, such as varying weather conditions or maintenance situations.
Companies focused on digital twin development enable engineers and planners to assess and improve transportation designs before actual construction or modifications. Furthermore, digital twin technology can help monitor real-time performance to ensure safety.
Example: Ford
Ford serves as an excellent illustration of a digital twin application in transportation. They utilize digital twins to enhance the development of their self-driving cars by evaluating their performance across different driving conditions and examining their autonomous driving algorithms.
Within this virtual setting, they can safely evaluate their product without the need for a physical prototype. As a result, this approach helps minimize both the time and expenses involved in the development process.
Conclusion
Digital twin technology is no longer a futuristic concept, but a very real and practical driver of innovation and sustainability across every major industry, with the potential to transform the way the world looks and functions. From healthcare to manufacturing, these virtual models are reshaping how organizations design, operate, and maintain their assets.
As AI and IoT continue to advance, digital twins will evolve from reactive tools into intelligent systems that predict, learn, and adapt in real time. Even just these examples demonstrate how it can enhance innovation and efficiency across various sectors, ultimately contributing to a smarter and more sustainable future.
For businesses, the message is clear: adopting digital twin technology today isn’t just about staying competitive; it’s about building the foundation for a smarter, safer, and more connected future.
