One major key to optimal productivity is the ability to identify and respond to issues before they have a chance to become big problems. Recently, digital twin technology has established itself as an invaluable tool for real time analysis of physical assets.
A digital twin of a real-world asset or system allows you to not only keep up with maintenance needs in real time, it also lets you run tests and simulations that can lead to more efficient usage and new opportunities for automation and innovation.
Digital twins are revolutionizing the way organizations are able to monitor and diagnose potential pitfalls in several industries. You can see them get incorporated into healthcare, for example. But leveraging the power of digital twins is having its most powerful immediate impact in the worlds of manufacturing and field services.
So, what is a digital twin? As the name suggests, it is a digital representation of a real-world object. They are meant to be as accurate to their physical counterparts as possible — a digital twin’s efficacy is considerably reduced by any inaccuracy.
A digital twin gets updated with real time information gathered via sensors and is designed to reflect an object’s changes over the course of its lifecycle. This allows users to run simulations and leverage tools like artificial intelligence to provide analysis that can lead to more effective object utilization and predictive models for maintenance and replacement.
Digital twin technology can be used to represent objects that range in scale from parts, to assets, to systems and all the way up to full processes. The digital twin model includes several layers — a data layer, an analytical layer, and a visualization layer.
The data layer uses sensors and updates via the Internet of Things (IoT) to create an up-to-the-minute-accurate representation of an object and/or its system. That information is then analyzed to determine the current status of operations. From there, simulations and visualization can be incorporated to see how different changes or continuing trends would affect your system.
As a digital twin example, let’s look at an HVAC system. In an HVAC system, sensors in the ducts as well as IoT functions in the compressors, condensers, and blowers would let you know how well the system is operating right now. You can then use that information to extrapolate information on how to improve that HVAC system’s operations with new tools or technological innovations.
When it comes to Field Services, the usage of a digital twin can improve operations by leaps and bounds. The primary benefits can be broken down like this:
Digital twins can help in every phase of the Field Services lifecycle. When you look at installation and implementation, operation and maintenance, as well as support and repair, digital twins can offer valuable assistance.
Installation plans for new additions to a system or process can be simulated with a digital twin to create the most effective strategy for implementation. The real-time updates and diagnostic abilities of a twin makes maintenance operations run more smoothly. And time and money can be saved on support by limiting in-person work to those times that it is necessary.
Field Services is not the only field that benefits from digital twin technology. Some innovations using a digital twin in manufacturing include creating a twin of an entire facility from the ground up. That allows for monitoring of current operations as well as simulations that can reflect the potential effects on productivity caused by new equipment or a different floor layout.
There are numerous applications for a digital twin in healthcare. Consider the benefits of having a digital twin that can monitor and identify potential malfunctions in a cutting edge, multi-point articulating prosthetic arm. Consider the ability to develop optimal usage of floor space throughout a hospital or emergency room.
Many more industries are just getting started with digital twin technology and have not even scratched the surface of what is possible for them. As artificial intelligence and machine learning tools improve, you can be sure that they will play major roles in digital twin development and utilization across industries.
Making use of digital twin technology can vastly improve the efficiency and productivity of your Field Services team. From ensuring that your field agents know what to expect when they go out to a site to predicting changing maintenance needs based on new variables that haven’t hit the real world yet and more, digital twins improve Field Services on virtually every level.
TEAM IM has a long and prosperous history working with partners to take their Field Services operations to higher levels via intelligent use of new tech innovations. To see how a digital twin program could benefit your organization, reach out today.