The concept of digital twins in the manufacturing industry: A study untangling the digital twin concept to utilize its benefits

Abstract

The manufacturing industry of today is challenged by highly competitive and dynamic markets, changed customer behavior and new technologies applied in manufacturing industry seeking to improve productivity and efficiency. The concept of digital twins has entered the manufacturing scene as an important part of this technology development and Industry 4.0. The concept has attained large interest in academia in the recent years but the diffuseness of the concept still remains. This thesis explores the concept of digital twins in the manufacturing industry. Through a literature review and an interview study with representatives from the industry, the definition of the concept of digital twins has been explored further and a remarkable diversity in the view of the concept of digital twins has been found both in academia and industry. In this thesis two different types of digital twins have been identified: a product digital twin and a factory digital twin. These digital twins enable, among other things, improved productivity and efficiency in the manufacturing industry. When implementing digital twins in the manufacturing industries change management, clear communication, compatible systems and clearly stated use cases regarding the digital twin need to be established. Moreover, the concept of digital twins is still in its infancy and because of its diffuseness, further research could therefore focus on how the the evolution of the definition of digital twins can merge to a common understanding.