Digital Twin: From Concept to Ecosystem
In recent years, digital twins have become an integral part of the development strategy of leading industrial enterprises. This technology is transforming the approach to production management, asset maintenance and security. In an interview, Roman Inyushkin, Director of Digital Projects Development at Softline Group, talks about how digital twins are created, what technologies they are based on, what effects their implementation gives and what awaits enterprises in the future.
– Roman, digital twin has become a fashionable term. What is its essence?
A digital twin is not just a 3D model of equipment. It is a dynamic, constantly updated system that combines data, algorithms, sensors, physical and mathematical models and management decisions. In essence, it is the digital intelligence of an enterprise that accompanies an asset at every stage of its life cycle: from design and construction to operation, modernization and decommissioning. This approach allows the enterprise to act proactively: predict asset behavior, optimize processes, minimize risks and costs.
– What technologies underlie the digital twin?
This is a whole ecosystem of technologies. At the core are IIoT and SCADA for collecting data from equipment in real time, MES for integrating production-level data, Big Data and machine learning for analysis and identifying patterns. Virtual sensors and predictive models play a key role, allowing you to see not only the actual state of the equipment, but also predict its behavior. All this works in conjunction with modern information security tools - without them, the digital twin simply will not be able to fully function in real conditions.
– How is a digital twin built and developed?
The life cycle of a digital twin begins at the design stage, when BIM models, 3D drawings, and engineering specifications are created. This data is then integrated with the results of construction and commissioning. At the operation stage, the model is supplemented with telemetry, maintenance plans and results, and data on repairs and modernization. It is important that a digital twin is not a static structure. It evolves along with the enterprise, adapting to changes in technological processes, production structure, and market requirements.
– What are the stages of maturity of a digital twin?
The first stage is monitoring. This is where data is collected from the equipment, and key parameters are visualized in real time. This is the basis for everything else. Next comes analysis and modeling: identifying patterns, building behavior models, recording anomalies. The third stage is forecasting and optimization. What is important here are “what if” scenarios, predictive repairs, and recommendations for optimizing process modes. And finally, the highest level of maturity is a digital advisor and autopilot: a system that suggests actions to the operator or independently manages processes, minimizing human involvement in routine operations and increasing production stability.
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– What is the role of the chief engineer in digitalization projects?
The chief engineer is the strategic customer of the digital twin. He is responsible for productivity, reliability, energy consumption, compliance with safety standards and product quality. The digital twin becomes his main tool in solving these problems. It allows not only to react to problems, but to manage them proactively: to see weak points in the production chain, to predict risk points, to manage the life cycle of assets in a single digital environment.
– And what is the situation with information security?
Information security is an integral element of a digital twin. Softline uses a comprehensive approach: network segmentation, demilitarized zones, infodiodes, telemetry encryption, industrial protocol monitoring. We work according to IEC 62443, NIST SP 800-82 standards, and use the MITRE ATT&CK matrix. Without information security, it is impossible to build a sustainable system: any violation can lead to production failure, financial losses, and risks for personnel and the environment.
– What does the future hold for the digital twin?
The future belongs to the model of the digital ecosystem of the enterprise, where not only assets, but also business processes, customer base, logistics, strategic scenarios will be simulated in a single digital space. This will allow managing the enterprise comprehensively, adapting to market changes, managing risks at a new level. For Russia, this is the path to technological sovereignty and global competitiveness.
– Your advice to industrial companies?
Don't put off digitalization for too long. Start with pilot projects on priority assets, accumulate experience, create competencies within the company. A digital twin is not a fad, but the foundation of a modern enterprise. And it is important to understand: this is not a replacement for a person, but his intellectual support, a tool for making better management decisions.