A power plant manager receives a notification to change a certain tube in the boiler during the next planned outage. An online store automatically sends an email mentioning ski clothing on sale to a new customer who just purchased a pair of skis. A freight train driver notices on the dashboard screen that his speed is automatically changed to save fuel based on the railway profile.
What do these three stories have in common? They each show people operating on insights created by a virtual replica of their asset. This virtual replica is called a digital twin. It uses first principal and statistical models, design information and external drivers to generate near real-time product information such as remaining life time, distance to optimal operations and geographical position.
This ISG white paper explores the concept of the digital twin and its potential to offer data-driven insights that enhance products and services, drive predictive maintenance and field service management to provide greater value to the end customer.
