Best Practices: Implementing Industrial Digital Twins

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Executive Summary

The last two years have seen a large number of organizations announcing digital twin projects for their industrial facilities. The need for digital, remote and resilient operations has been further emphasized by the COVID-19 crisis. In this report, we provide corporate executives and digital twin software buyers at industrial organizations with an overview of the best practices for implementing industrial digital twins. To capture best practice insights, Verdantix conducted in-depth interviews with digital twin experts at technology suppliers, service providers and industrial organizations, as well as surveying 259 senior executives in operations, maintenance, engineering and process safety roles. To achieve success with digital twin projects, our research finds that organizations should develop a blended success programme spanning five core aspects: (1) people, (2) data, (3) hardware, (4) connectivity and (5) security.

Success In Digital Twin Projects Relies On Clearly Defining Achievable Objectives 
Shiny Ball Syndrome Can Derail Digital Twin Projects
Digital Twin Expectations Should Tango With Current Digital Maturity

Five Dimensions To Consider When Implementing Digital Twins 
Success Starts With People And Culture 
Implementations Will Fail Without A Robust Data Strategy 
Hard Questions On Hardware, Connectivity And Security Must Be Answered

Figure 1. Factors Holding Back Investment In Digital Twin Projects  
Figure 2. Functionalities Required For Each Digital Twin Sophistication Level  
Figure 3. Digital Twin Use Cases Along The Project Life Cycle  
Figure 4. Framework For Developing and Implementing A Digital Twin  
Figure 5. Solution Recommendations To Five Core Challenges During Implementation Of Digital Twin Projects  

About the Authors

Victor Voulgaropoulos

Victor Voulgaropoulos

Director, Advisory Services

Victor is a Director in the Verdantix Advisory practice, where he leads pre-deal and growth strategy engagements for private equity firms, software vendors and corporates. Wit...

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Malavika Tohani

Malavika Tohani

Research Director

Malavika is a Research Director at Verdantix, guiding research that explores how digital technologies and services are reshaping industrial operations to become safer, more ef...

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