Digital Twin Case Studies
Case Study #1 - Rolls Royce’s Use of Digital Twin Technology
Introduction to Rolls-Royce Holdings plc
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is a British multinational aerospace and defense company. The company was established in 1904 by the Honorable Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce.
While initially affiliated with the Rolls-Royce car brand, which acquired the Bentley car brand in 1931, Rolls- Royce sold their Rolls-Royce automobile subsidiary to BMW in 1998 to focus power systems for aviation and other industries.
Today, Rolls-Royce Holdings plc designs, manufactures, and distributes power systems for aviation and other industries. In 2023, Rolls Royce had revenues of 16.4 billion British Pounds ($20.8 billion), and employed 41,400 persons. Rolls-Royce is the world's second-largest maker of aircraft engines and has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Before I introduce how Rolls-Royce uses digital twin technology, I want to introduce the basics about digital twin technology.
Introduction To Digital Twins: Understanding the Basics
Digital twins represent a groundbreaking fusion of the physical and digital worlds, a concept that has rapidly evolved from its initial inception to become a cornerstone in modern technological advancements. At their core, digital twins are highly detailed virtual models designed to mirror real-world objects, systems, or processes. This innovative technology enables businesses and organizations to simulate, predict, and visualize assets in a digital realm, offering unparalleled insights into performance, potential issues, and opportunities for optimization.
The Evolution of Digital Twins in Industry
The evolution of digital twins in industry marks a significant leap in how businesses manage and optimize their operations. Initially conceived as simple digital replicas of physical systems, these virtual models have grown increasingly sophisticated. Early iterations primarily focused on product lifecycle management, offering insights into design and manufacturing processes. However, as technology advanced, so did the capabilities of digital twins. They began to integrate real-time data, AI algorithms, and IoT connectivity, transforming them into dynamic tools for predictive maintenance, operational efficiency, and innovation across various sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, urban planning, and more. This evolution reflects a broader shift towards data-driven decision-making and automation in industry. Today's digital twins are not just about replication but are pivotal in simulating future scenarios, optimizing performance, reducing costs, and fostering sustainable practices in an ever-competitive market landscape.
- Manufacturing stands at the forefront of using digital twin technology, leveraging digital twins to enhance product design, production processes, and maintenance protocols.
- The automotive sector follows closely, using these sophisticated simulations to test vehicle systems under various conditions without the need for physical prototypes. in the realm of urban planning and smart cities, digital twins are instrumental in optimizing infrastructure development and management.
- The energy sector utilizes digital twin technology to monitor and manage renewable energy sources more efficiently.
- Healthcare is beginning to adopt digital twins to personalize patient care and improve medical device manufacturing.
To learn more about digital twin technology, I encourage you to listen to the Siemens episode in our podcast series that describes how Siemens has made it a goal to be the leaders in the industrial metaverse, which is based on digital twin technology, as well as the Northrop Grumman and BMW episodes since both companies are heavy users of digital twin technology.
Rolls-Royce’s Use of Digital Twin Technology
Rolls-Royce, a name synonymous with luxury automobiles and pioneering aerospace engines, has long stood at the forefront of innovation within engineering and technology. In recent years, this storied company has ventured into the digital realm by harnessing the power of Digital Twin technology. This avant-garde approach involves creating highly detailed virtual models of physical assets or systems. These digital counterparts enable engineers and designers to simulate, analyze, and optimize products and processes in a virtual environment before they are built or deployed in the real world.
The Evolution of Digital Twins in Rolls-Royce Engineering
The evolution of digital twins in Rolls-Royce engineering has marked a transformative journey, reshaping how this aerospace giant approaches design, maintenance, and innovation. Initially, digital twins served as mere virtual replicas of physical engines, aimed at enhancing the understanding of their operational characteristics. Over time, these digital constructs have evolved into sophisticated systems that not only mirror their physical counterparts in real-time but also predict future performance and potential failures.
Leveraging advanced analytics, IoT data, and machine learning algorithms, Rolls-Royce has been able to optimize engine efficiency, reduce downtime, and even tailor preventative maintenance schedules. This progression underscores a significant shift towards proactive problem-solving and continuous improvement in product development and lifecycle management within the aerospace and automotive sectors.
Core Components of Rolls-Royce Digital Twins
At the heart of Rolls-Royce's digital twin technology lies a sophisticated amalgamation of core components that seamlessly integrate both to mimic and predict the real-world behavior of their engines. Central to this is the advanced simulation software, which replicates physical phenomena with astonishing accuracy, allowing engineers to foresee how engines will perform under various conditions. Complementing this, sensor data analytics plays a crucial role; by harnessing vast amounts of operational data from sensors embedded in actual engines, the system gains the ability to monitor health and predict maintenance needs in real-time.
Moreover, machine learning algorithms continuously refine these predictions, learning from new data to enhance future accuracy. Together, these components form the backbone of Rolls-Royce's digital twins, offering unprecedented insights into engine performance and reliability.
Application of Digital Twins in Aircraft Engine Maintenance
The application of digital twins by Rolls-Royce in aircraft engine maintenance represents a significant leap in predictive analytics and operational efficiency. This innovative technology creates a virtual replica of the aircraft engine, enabling engineers to monitor, analyze, and simulate real-world conditions without physical intervention. By harnessing vast amounts of data from sensors embedded within the engines, the digital twin can predict potential failures, optimize maintenance schedules, and improve engine design for future iterations.
This not only enhances reliability and safety but also reduces downtime and maintenance costs. Through the continuous feedback loop between the virtual model and its physical counterpart,
Enhancing Manufacturing Efficiency with Rolls-Royce Digital Twins
Rolls-Royce has harnessed the power of digital twins to revolutionize its manufacturing processes, significantly enhancing efficiency. By creating virtual replicas of their engines and components, they can simulate the entire lifecycle of their products in a digital environment. This innovative approach allows for real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance, identifying potential issues before they occur. Consequently, it minimizes downtime and reduces costs associated with repairs and unscheduled maintenance.
Moreover, by analyzing data from these digital twins, Rolls-Royce continuously improves the design and performance of its products. This forward-thinking strategy not only streamlines production but also ensures the delivery of more reliable and efficient engines to their customers worldwide.
The Role of IoT and AI in Optimizing Rolls-Royce Digital Twins
The Role of IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) in optimizing Rolls-Royce digital twins represents a pivotal advancement in aerospace engineering. By integrating IoT, Rolls-Royce can continuously gather real-time data from sensors embedded in their engines and components across the globe. This data, when analyzed through AI algorithms, enables predictive maintenance by identifying potential issues before they become problematic, thus enhancing reliability, and reducing downtime.
Furthermore, AI's capability to learn from data helps in refining the digital twin models, making them increasingly accurate representations of their physical counterparts. This symbiosis between IoT and AI not only optimizes the performance and efficiency of Rolls-Royce engines but also drives innovation in designing future propulsion systems.
Success of Rolls-Royce Digital Twins Implementation
One notable success story of Rolls-Royce's implementation of digital twins is in its aerospace division, where the technology has significantly enhanced engine performance and predictive maintenance. By creating virtual replicas of its aircraft engines, Rolls-Royce has been able to simulate and analyze real-world conditions without the need for physical prototypes. This approach has not only accelerated development cycles but also improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.
Furthermore, the digital twin technology has empowered Rolls-Royce to predict failures before they occur, thereby minimizing downtime and maintenance costs. This innovative use of digital twins underscores Rolls-Royce's commitment to pioneering advancements in engineering, setting new standards for operational excellence in the aerospace industry.
Future Opportunities: The Next Frontier for Rolls-Royce and Digital Twin Innovations
As Rolls-Royce continues to pioneer in the realm of digital twin technology, the future opportunities appear boundless. The next frontier for Rolls-Royce and its digital twin innovations is poised to revolutionize not just aerospace, but also marine and energy sectors. By leveraging advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning, these digital twins will predict maintenance needs with even greater accuracy, optimize performance in real-time, and facilitate the development of more sustainable engines by simulating various fuel types and combustion methods.
Furthermore, as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies mature, engineers and technicians will interact with these digital twins in more immersive ways, enhancing troubleshooting capabilities and fostering a deeper understanding of complex systems.
When Rolls-Royce was founded in 1904, the Honorable Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce shared their passion for engineering excellence and a desire to create the Best Car in the world. Their passion for engineering excellence has always been at the core of Rolls-Royce’s DNA. By integrating Digital Twin technology into their development strategies, Rolls-Royce continues to solidify its reputation as a leader in pushing the boundaries of what is possible in engineering and design.
Case Study #2 - Siemens Digital Twin Metaverse Case Study: Leading the Way in the Industrial Metaverse
In 2022, the high-tech and venture capital industries’ focus on the Metaverse reached a feverish pitch, with VC funding for the Metaverse surpassing $120 billion. While the new focus in 2023 is on generative AI (think ChatGPT), make no mistake about it; the VC community and individual companies continue in 2023 to make huge investments in the Metaverse (now better known as the Virtual World).
B2B Siemens industrial Metaverse case study is an example of a strong Metaverse Case Study, where Siemens, an innovative, global German company, is pioneering industrial Metaverse usage.
Siemens is a German multinational conglomerate with annual revenues of $78 billion in 2022. They are headquartered in Munich and have foreign branch offices globally. Siemens was founded in 1847 – more than 175 years ago! Today Siemens is the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe. They position themselves as a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport, and healthcare. They focus on resource-efficient factories, resilient supply chains, smarter buildings and grids, sustainable transportation, and advanced healthcare. Siemens takes pride in creating and implementing technology that adds real value for their industrial customers.
Before I share with you details of Siemens’ Metaverse case study, I want you to know that Siemens has taken a pioneering and strategic approach to doing business successfully in the Metaverse. For example, Peter Koerte, who is Siemens’ chief technology and strategy officer recently said: “We don’t claim that we know what the Metaverse is, but we have an idea of what it could be, and we want to shape it.” What Korte and other Siemens executives know is if Siemens can put their stakes down in the Metaverse space early on, it will propel Siemens’ own transformation plan to become a more digital, software platform-driven, engineering firm.
Let’s now dig into some details about how Siemens is delivering on their B2B industrial Metaverse vision. Implementation of this vision falls under the responsibility of Siemens’ Digital Industries division, whose CEO – and this is quite important -- is also a member of the Siemens management board. For context, Siemens Digital Industries division focuses on creating tools for designing, testing, and manufacturing physical products like cars, airplanes, computer chips and consumer goods.
Siemen’s implementation strategy is built around the use of digital twins – which Tim has briefly spoken about. In fact, Siemens believes digital twins are the building blocks for the Metaverse. What has impressed me is the extensive portfolios of simulation, optimization, testing and design tools Siemens has created to link factories to digital twins in the Metaverse.
Here are two short examples of how Siemens is actively taking its own medicine.
- Example 1: Siemens has designed, modelled, tested, and built a new Siemens factory in Beijing using a digital twin that simulates factory machines, people, robots, and materials to find an optimal blend of equipment and processes. This new factory is said to be 20% more productive than current factories. Perhaps more importantly, through these sorts of simulations Siemens’ industrial customers can not only find efficiencies, but they can lay the foundation for data-driven insights that impact factory design, maintenance, product design and people management including training and automation.
- Example 2: To illustrate the industrial Metaverse, Siemens is currently developing between now and 2035 its own smart city, called Siemensstadt Square, which is a digital twin of an existing city called Siemensstadt that dates to the 1890s. As a part of optimizing this digital twin city, Siemens will be determining what kind of buildings are needed, simulating personnel requirements, optimizing traffic flows and much more.
Let’s look deeper at four key accomplishments Siemens is seeing as pioneers in the industrial Metaverse:
Accomplishment #1: Siemens has installed its factory automation technology in 30% of all manufacturing equipment, where their design and product lifecycle management tools are a staple in most industrial companies. These tools generate terabytes of factory machine data that can calibrate a production digital twin in the Metaverse with live data coming directly from the factory floor. This live data feed can in turn be used to design better factories where Siemens is able to identify bottlenecks and quality defects early on in the design process.
Accomplishment #2: Siemens’ goal is to transform the way industries build factories for new products. For example, when Siemens faced a semiconductor shortage during Covid, Siemens assembled a digital twin to redesign a Siemens circuit board to take advantage of new parts, optimizing the design and pushing the new board into production within days versus the more six months using more traditional approaches.
Accomplishment #3: Siemens Digital Industries has grown revenues an impressive 25% (from $15 billion to $20 billion) in the past 2 years by transitioning its digital twin portfolio to an industrial Metaverse cloud.
Accomplishment #4: To support their industrial Metaverse cloud, Siemens has launched two important initiatives:
- Siemens created their Xcelerator digital business platform and partner ecosystem to help both Siemens and external companies accelerate their digital transformation efforts.
- In June 2022, Siemens struck a deal with the American high-tech company Nvidia to combine Siemens’ Xcelerator digital business platform with Nvidia’s Omniverse platform both to enable the industrial Metaverse and to help companies design and operate Metaverse applications.
My Metaverse business colleague Tim Bajarin and I feel strongly that now is the time for all companies to create and implement their Metaverse strategy. For the German engineering firm Siemens, being a pioneer in the Metaverse has gone well beyond a strategy; it has become more of a crusade whereby they see themselves as the Petri dish for the industrial Metaverse. No surprise that German chancellor Olaf Scholz, who spoke at Siemens’ 175th birthday party, said Siemens had “electrified, moved, united and constantly reinvented the world.” And today, in the industrial Metaverse, Siemens continues this journey.
Case Study #3 - Pfizer XR/VR/AR Journey Case Study: Pioneers in the Use of XR/Metaverse Technology
Pfizer Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered in New York City. The company was established in 1849 in Brooklyn, New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer, and his cousin Charles F. Erhart.
Pfizer’s 2022 revenues were $100 billion, making it the largest pharmaceutical company in the world. In 2022, Pfizer had 83,000 employees.
What propelled Pfizer to hit a record $100 billion in sales last year was the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022, Pfizer generated $38 billion in sales for their Covid vaccine and $19 billion in sales for their antiviral pill Paxlovid.
In addition to Covid-19 vaccine and their antiviral pill Paxlovid, Pfizer also manufactures many well-known medicines including Advil, which is the #1 selling branded OTC analgesic in the world, Bextra, Celebrex, Diflucan, Lyrica, Robitussin, and Viagra. Pfizer is also the mastermind behind many popular consumer products including Chapstick and Preparation-H.
Pfizer’s XR/VR/AR Journey
In 2018, Pfizer began brainstorming ways to utilize XR technologies. With 39 manufacturing sites worldwide, there was always a need for onboarding and upskilling Pfizer employees. The need for onboarding and upskilling new employees had always been high, but in a company spread across more than 125 countries, finding an effective and efficient training program proved difficult. After much consideration, Pfizer decided virtual reality training was the most logical first step in adopting XR. Pfizer implemented two important phases in their XR/VR/AR journey.
Phase 1: Proof-of-Concept
The first couple of years became Pfizer’s proof-of-concept phase, during which time they tested VR headsets and software and experimented with 3D scanning. They also began a large internal communications campaign for Pfizer stakeholders where they shared VR training use cases, VR training benefits, and other VR insights and information. This proof-of-concept phase was all about giving stakeholders a vision of what immersive technology could do – the art of the possible – with the goal to generate interest from different organizations within Pfizer.
Phase 2: Covid-19 Innovation Requirements
In December 2019, a cluster of patients in China’s Hubei Province experienced a pneumonia-like illness that did not respond to standard treatments. Within 90 days, health authorities reported more than 118,000 cases of this new virus across 114 countries. Six days after WHO declared Covid-19 a global pandemic, Pfizer and German-based BioNTech announced their intent to co-develop a potential vaccine based on mRNA technology developed at the University of Pennsylvania; as a University of Pennsylvania alumni, I am proud to note the two lead scientists just won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their pioneering research.
In early 2020, little was known about the Covid-19 virus. But one thing that was apparent was that billions of people needed a vaccine, which meant Pfizer needed to train thousands of new manufacturing workers quickly within Pfizer manufacturing facilities. The challenge was how could Pfizer get so many new workers trained? The team at Pfizer had already proven VR training was a powerful tool, but now Pfizer had to scale VR training in an unprecedented way. Over the ensuing months, Pfizer hired thousands of manufacturing workers and trained them using VR technology. Whereas a new manufacturing floor worker might take about a year to become fully operational with traditional training methods, the highly contagious Covid-19 virus only magnified the limitations of traditional training methods. Conversely, VR training thrives when things are difficult or dangerous. Pfizer created immersive VR simulations of real-world scenarios without putting people in danger. Pfizer also utilized 3D replicas, virtual group training, and real-time feedback to ensure excellent training outcomes.
The results were astounding! By the time the brilliant Pfizer and BioNTech had developed the vaccine in nine months, Pfizer’s manufacturing teams were ready to begin production and so too were the thousands of contracted manufacturing workers that Pfizer had trained using VR technology. More precisely, Pfizer’s:
- VR manufacturing training transformed 100+ pages of Standard Operating Procedures into interactive training experiences, which greatly reduced time to train and minimized space required for the training.
- VR behavioral training trained users on proper behavior/movement using speed and haptic tracking capabilities.
- VR training environment removed accessibility issues by taking 3D scans or creating 3D replicas within the training.
Of importance, Pfizer’s VR training leads reported a 40% reduction in total training time and a 3X increase in quality.
Over the next year, Pfizer and BioNTech accomplished their goal of manufacturing millions of vaccines. For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, there was a spark of hope across the globe. The contract manufacturing workers trained in VR were a massive part of that spark. The Covid-19 pandemic put Pfizer’s immersive learning program to the ultimate test, and it was hugely successful.
Two Additional VR Applications Pfizer Is Pursuing
While Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine story is an incredible testimony to the power of VR training, and to Pfizer’s leadership in leveraging VR technology, Pfizer innovative use of XR technology does not stop here. Let us briefly look at two additional ways Pfizer is currently leveraging XR technology.
- Pfizer Leads the Way Leveraging VR To Help Build Its Innovative New Sterile Injectable Plant
Creating an entirely new pharmaceutical factory is both expensive and time-consuming. This has led many companies, including Pfizer, to turn to XR technology to create ‘virtual factories.’ In Pfizer’s case, they are currently creating a $450 million sterile injectables factory, with a ‘virtual factory’ component that is harnessing ‘digital twin’ technology to optimize the factory and its supply chain as well as train employees in a more efficient way. Like human twins, a digital twin is an exact replica of a physical object or location, except it is entirely virtual. A virtual factory floor, for example, allows a company to follow the entire supply chain process in order to find ways to optimize it and cut costs. This is all done virtually, which slashes costs significantly. Companies are also using digital twin technology to model new machines or robots, allowing engineers to find weaknesses in the design or movement and fix them before creating the actual end-product. In its leadership role, in addition to using VR since 2018 to train its employees, Pfizer is now leading the way in the deployment of digital twin technology to optimize its production.
Pfizer is building the $450 million Modular Aseptic Processing (MAP) factory on the company’s campus in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. At around 420,000 square feet, the giant factory will focus on making sterile injectables. Pfizer predicts that its building will create 450 new jobs, and not all workers will be required to be on-site. Thanks to MAP’s digital twin, factory workers can learn how to do their jobs without even stepping inside the factory. Using VR headsets, employees can tour the new factory and learn new tasks even before the MAP factory is built. Trainers can now observe how trainees are executing their tasks in the virtual environment and provide feedback on their performance. Because much of the MAP factory and machines will be designed using 3D models, these models are easy to move into VR software for employee training. Having the employees professionally trained early on is essential to boost Pfizer’s efficiency, as producing sterile injectables is a long and complicated process. Pfizer hopes this digital twin technology will give the company the competitive advantage it seeks.
- Pfizer Embraces VR Simulations to Improve Protocol Compliance
In the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry, protocol compliance is critical. Pfizer is bringing VR simulations to investigative sites to improve compliance with clinical trial protocols, including the way ‘study’ drugs get compounded. This maturing technology, which has only been on the market a few years, can be used both to help prepare an investigational product as well as train clinical trial investigators on complex study protocols. Pfizer intention is to apply this protocol compliance technology across multiple sites since it is a great option for Phase II and Phase III training and compliance purposes.
Closing Comment
Bringing a drug to market can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. The failure rate is steep, with only one in every 5,000 screened drugs getting approved. Moreover, it is a long, winding road to market, with the drug development process taking an average of 12 years and costing upwards of $2.6 billion. Which make development of the Covid-19 vaccine in 9-months a truly, incredible accomplishment. Even for the drugs that do get approved, manufacturing is not always straightforward. Process deviations, ineffective collaboration, and training result in lost batches, delays, and resource waste.
As discussed in this case study, technology pioneer Pfizer is leveraging existing and new XR technology to shift this reality. Headsets equipped with VR help train employees quickly and cost-effectively. XR technology also facilitates creating ‘digital twin’ factories to optimize processes and costs, as well as manufacturing effectiveness. XR technology collaboration tools give researchers access to on-the-spot feedback, a better way to achieve process and compliance directives, and an ability troubleshooting issues in real time.
My hat goes off to Pfizer, a 174-year-old company, for their pioneering use of XR technology since 2018 in the healthcare industry.
My Metaverse business partner, Tim Bajarin, and I are keen to assist manufacturing companies at each step of the way to ensure their successful entry into the Metaverse. To read about additional airlines and other company Metaverse case studies, I strongly encourage you to visit ISM’s award-winning Metaverse Resource Center – www.ismguide.commetaverse-resource-center – where in addition to gaining access to more than 350 Metaverse case studies, more than 350 Metaverse articles, and more than 150 Metaverse videos, you can download ISM’s new ‘8 Steps to Do Business Successfully in the Metaverse’ White Paper, download ISM’s New ‘VR Training Guide for the Enterprise,’ learn about and sign-up for ISM’s complimentary 2-hour Metaverse Executive Bootcamp, and more.
Barton Goldenberg (bgoldenberg@ismguide.com) is president of ISM, Inc. Since 1985, ISM has established itself as the premier strategic advisor leveraging leading edge technologies – the Metaverse, Digital Communities, and CRM. ISM’s current focus is on virtual world technology with a focus on VR training, Digital Twin technology, and Remote Assist technology to help sales, marketing customer service, and field service executive move their performance to the next level. His thought leadership including creator of the ‘Business Success in a Virtual World’ podcast, creator of the award winning Metaverse Resource Center, and author of three business books including The Definitive Guide to Social CRM. He is also in high demand as a keynote speaker (www.bartongoldenberg.com).