Deepak NG, MD of Dassault Systèmes India, navigates the distinction between digital and virtual twins, illuminating their distinct benefits. While digital twins scrutinise individual products, virtual twins extend their purview to encompass entire processes, offering a comprehensive perspective from inception to downstream activities.
Virtual twins revolutionising mobility and transportation:
Within the manufacturing sector, with a keen focus on mobility and transportation, Deepak spotlights the industry’s shift towards electric vehicles (EVs) and hydrogen fuel for pollution mitigation. Virtual twins emerge as instrumental tools, enhancing safety, optimizing operations, reducing environmental impact, and contributing to the development of sustainable transportation systems.
Virtual twins in Infrastructure:
Delving into the infrastructure sector, particularly smart buildings, Deepak elaborates on how virtual twins play an indispensable role. Organisations strategically utilise them to optimise operations, curtail energy consumption, enhance occupant well-being, and actively contribute to overarching sustainability goals. These digital replicas meticulously simulate and analyse elements such as energy usage and occupant behavior, ultimately improving both energy efficiency and sustainability.
Aligning sustainability goals
Deepak underscores the pivotal role of aligning sustainability goals with digital twin technology for organizations. This alignment transcends mere operational optimization, actively contributing to global initiatives addressing environmental challenges. The innate capacity of digital twins to simulate, monitor, and optimize diverse processes positions them as invaluable tools in advancing sustainability initiatives across sectors.
Navigating challenges in implementation:
Acknowledging the advantages of digital twins for sustainability, the article delves into the challenges encountered during implementation. Change management and integration emerge as critical facets. Effecting change necessitates a shift in mindset and practices across departments, instilling a culture of continuous innovation. Meanwhile, integration challenges involve deftly navigating legacy systems and adapting to a common platform—an essential prerequisite for visualizing and optimizing sustainability initiatives.
Deepak concludes with the thought that in an era marked by heightened environmental consciousness, organisations adopting digital twins not only align with but also proactively propel towards their sustainability objectives.
