August 18, 2022
In the Media
Özden Tozanli and Maria Jesús Saénz write in MIT Sloan Management Review about the immense potential of Digital Twins in Supply Chain
Digital twins — virtual replicas of physical entities and their interactions — consist of a combination of enabling technologies and analytics capabilities. But the technology is often misunderstood; many people incorrectly assume that digital twins are themselves sensors, 3D models, simulators, or applications of AI technology. Others mistakenly consider digital twins to be largely theoretical and not relevant for supply chain management, or assume that a digital twin can be built only after the physical twin has been created — but neither statement is true.
Digital twins are a combination of multiple enabling technologies, such as sensors, cloud computing, AI and advanced analytics, simulation, visualization, and augmented and virtual reality. Companies can use a customized mix of technologies, depending on their needs and expectations. What distinguishes digital twins and makes them so powerful is their ability to emulate human capabilities, support critical decision-making, and even make decisions on behalf of humans.