Digital Operations
Digital Twin of the Supply Chain
The Digital Twin: A Digital Representation of Your Processes and Systems
Processes in the supply chain, logistics, and production are becoming increasingly complex, making it difficult to achieve transparency and make informed decisions. A digital twin creates a virtual representation of real-world systems, enabling simulations, predictive analytics, and data-driven optimizations. This allows you to identify risks early on, reduce transportation costs, optimize inventory, improve service levels, and plan resources more efficiently. Our Digital Twin solutions are individually tailored to your goals and use cases—from modeling and implementation to scenario analysis—and support you in building a high-performing and resilient digital supply chain.
Dr. Clemens Wolf
Senior Manager, Digital Operations
Feel free to contact me!
Would you like to create a digital twin or learn more about it? Send me a message, and I’ll get back to you right away.
Readiness Assessment and Data Check
Discover the potential of a digital twin in your company.
With the help of the digital twin, you can optimize your processes and products to increase profitability. This is made possible by a continuous exchange of data between the real-world and digital representations. Therefore, the success of a digital twin depends largely on the availability, consistency, and quality of the data. Is your data ready for the digital representation of reality?
In our Readiness Assessment, we analyze and evaluate the potential of digital twins in your company. To do this, we examine the prerequisites and framework conditions of your business information systems. Building on this, we provide you with a roadmap outlining the steps for successfully implementing a digital twin.
Our Service Packages:
- Workshop on Defining Objectives and Selecting Processes or Products
- Analysis of Data Sources
- Conducting Initial Data Analyses
- Development of a Roadmap for Implementation
Benefits for you:
- Overview of Your Data Quality
- Measures to Meet Data Requirements
- Custom Implementation Plan
Modeling and Implementation
We create a dynamic virtual representation of your structures or processes.
The Digital Twin model dynamically mirrors the real-world object. To this end, it contains all relevant master data, order data, and shipment data, which are sourced directly from the IT systems you use. In addition, based on your current processes, we define a set of rules according to which the simulation model makes its decisions. We help you identify and prepare the necessary data sources and analyze your current processes to develop the set of rules for the Digital Twin.
Based on your requirements and your intended use case, we select a suitable software solution to implement the model. We then build the model within this software and connect it to the existing data sources. To ensure a continuous flow of data between the digital twin and its real-world counterpart, we create automated extraction and transformation workflows.
By developing BI dashboards tailored specifically to your use case, we enable you to measure and evaluate the performance of the digital twin. Working together with your IT department, we set up the necessary infrastructure for a continuous data flow and ensure the smooth operation of the digital twin.
Our Service Packages:
- Identify and analyze the required data sources
- Document current processes and develop the set of rules
- Choosing the Right Software Solution
- Build and Verify the Digital Twin Model
- Develop Custom BI Dashboards
- Provide IT infrastructure for continuous data exchange
Benefits for you:
- The Right Technology for Your Use Case
- Meaningful analyses
- Seamless data exchange between IT systems and the digital twin
Development and Evaluation of Scenarios
Make better decisions with forward-looking analyses and scenarios.
The current state has been captured, the model verified, and the digital twin implemented and ready for use. How can you now leverage the digital twin to your advantage? The possible applications are diverse: Expand your digital twin to include “what-if” analyses. Test the resilience of your supply chain through targeted stress tests to identify vulnerabilities in the event of demand fluctuations or delivery failures, and develop appropriate countermeasures. Assess the economic viability of an expansion or compare the offerings of different logistics service providers. Or simply look for opportunities to optimize your existing structure.
We help you identify scenarios that are relevant to your business so that you can map them to your existing digital twin. To do this, we enhance your BI dashboards with the necessary components, evaluate the scenarios, and assist you in selecting the optimal solution. To successfully implement these scenarios, we develop catalogs of measures and implementation roadmaps, and we’re happy to support your company in carrying out these measures.
Our Service Packages:
- Identify relevant scenarios for “what-if” analyses
- Expand the Digital Twin with Scenario Components
- Customize BI Dashboards for Scenario Analysis
- Evaluate the results and select the optimal solution
- Develop measures and implementation plans
Benefits for you:
- Additional Value Added Through the Digital Twin
- Identifying Opportunities for Optimization and Growth in Your Company
- Clarity regarding existing risks and possible responses
- Testing various solutions without making changes to the actual system
Digital Twin as a Service
Stay up to date at all times with automated data exchange and custom dashboards.
Continuous changes in internal or external factors continue to have a significant impact on the digital twin even after implementation. To keep the digital twin up to date at all times and reflect new events, we’re happy to host the model for you and update it regularly as needed.
The interfaces we have developed with your IT systems ensure a continuous exchange of data. This keeps the model constantly updated. In addition, we enable you to use custom BI dashboards to visualize up-to-the-minute insights from the Digital Twin in real time and respond immediately to changes.
Our Service Packages:
- Host a digital twin model and update it as needed
- Keep your information up to date
- Provide Real-Time BI Dashboards
Benefits for you:
- The model’s relevance is assured
- Live Visualization of the Digital Twin
- Responding Quickly to Change
FAQ
Welche Vorteile bietet ein digitaler Zwilling für das Supply-Chain-Management?
Ein Digital Twin bildet die Supply Chain dynamisch ab und macht komplexe Zusammenhänge transparent. Unternehmen können bestehende Strukturen analysieren, What-if-Szenarien simulieren und die Auswirkungen von Veränderungen bewerten. Dadurch lassen sich beispielsweise Bestände, Transportkosten, Service-Level und Ressourceneinsatz gezielt optimieren.
Welche Risiken bestehen bei der Implementierung eines Supply-Chain-Digital-Twins?
Entscheidend ist eine belastbare Datenbasis. Fehlende, uneinheitliche oder veraltete Daten können die Qualität der Simulationen und Analysen beeinträchtigen. Auch die Integration verschiedener IT-Systeme, kontinuierliche Datenflüsse und die realitätsnahe Abbildung der Prozesse sind wichtige Erfolgsfaktoren. Ein Readiness Assessment und ein strukturierter Daten-Check schaffen hier frühzeitig Klarheit.
Für welche Anwendungsfälle eignet sich ein Digital Twin in der Supply Chain?
Die Einsatzmöglichkeiten reichen von der Simulation von Lieferausfällen und Bedarfsschwankungen bis zur Optimierung von Logistiknetzwerken. Auch Standort- und Kapazitätsentscheidungen, der Vergleich von Logistikdienstleistern oder die Bewertung verschiedener Supply-Chain-Strategien lassen sich virtuell testen. So können Unternehmen unterschiedliche Szenarien bewerten, bevor sie Veränderungen im realen System umsetzen.
Wie unterstützt ein Digital Twin die Resilienz der Supply Chain?
Mit einem Digital Twin lassen sich potenzielle Schwachstellen durch Simulationen und Stresstests frühzeitig sichtbar machen. Unternehmen können beispielsweise Lieferausfälle oder starke Nachfrageschwankungen durchspielen und unterschiedliche Reaktionsmöglichkeiten vergleichen. Das schafft eine fundierte Entscheidungsgrundlage und hilft, geeignete Maßnahmen bereits vor einem kritischen Ereignis vorzubereiten.
