Smart Manufacturing: innovations on challenging market

Consumer expectations are evolving dynamically. They expect their products to be technologically complex and innovative, but also easy to use. Most importantly, they want this combination in a package that offers value for money.

Nowadays, getting products to market is more than just being the first across the finish line. It requires manufacturers to rethink how they work because data and multidisciplinary collaboration have become critical to innovation, which enables organizations to be ahead of the competition.

The need for efficient collaboration

In reality, many companies fail to address the complexities in their product development process. There are many reasons for that – products are becoming increasingly complicated, whereas in companies individual departments still remain closed in information silos, which prevents smooth cooperation between project participants. However, just breaking the silos inside the organization is not enough. Introducing innovations that will allow companies to stay ahead of the competition requires a perfectly managed and fully integrated product development process. Such opportunities are created by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform from Dassault Systèmes, which enables stakeholders to collaborate in a virtual workspace throughout the entire product development.

Virtual twin

The “digital twin” term means a virtual simulation of entire business processes. The product development perspective explains why such approach is so important. The need for agile production and to make parallel progress in all areas of production makes simulation an indispensable part of the product development process. Increasingly complex product requirements and changing production conditions mean that companies today need the opportunity to test various concepts and processes in the planning phase, i.e. before physical resources are used.

Imagine being able to expand the parameters of a simulation when designing a virtual model. Instead of being limited by physical parameters, the designers can now feed real-world inputs, such as information from sensors and IIoT devices, into a virtual model to create a digital representation of the actual product. This way, they create different scenarios and simulate the product’s actual behavior.

Such activities allow companies to build a bridge between the virtual and real world, which results in:

• lower costs,
• faster development,
• accelerated time-to-market – reducing production cycle by up to 50 percent
• safer and resource-saving work

A sustainable enterprise

The virtual twin can support the enterprise from conception to production phase. As a result, thanks to the comprehensive integration of all available data, a “factory of the future” enabling ecological production, can be created today. Digital simulations in the spirit of “Circular Economy” allow to eliminate physical prototypes, and thus – significantly save resources and ensure more efficient production processes.

Moreover, the virtual twins scenarios – based on the software available on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform – are very detailed and show how water resources can be used more efficiently. The system uses data intelligence, 3D modeling and visualization to track the water footprint of products and services, from design and engineering to manufacturing and product’s end-of-life. Ultimately, consumers are the ones who benefit, because companies can offer goods and services that are designed, manufactured and transported using less water.

At Dassault Systèmes, we strive to raise awareness of water consumption and protection through optimization, innovation and education. An example of our commitment to environmental protection is the “Water for life” campaign, which is part of the wider project “The Only Progress is Human”. This project consists of 10 acts that not only illustrate how virtual twins can be used to create a real user-centric experience, but also respond to a specific challenge.

Author:

Ireneusz Borowski, Country Manager na Polskę, Dassault Systèmes

Last Updated on October 15, 2021 by Anastazja Lach