Before discussing the concept of digital twin, it would be useful to reflect on the history and evolution of the industry. The technological advancements of the past centuries have paved the way for the emergence of digital twins. While the adaptation to the 1st Industrial Revolution was a slow process, subsequent industrial revolutions have benefited from rapid technological developments, leading to faster industrial adaptation.
What is the Digital Twin?
The digital twin is a digital representation or similar model of a real-life object, process, or system. It replicates the physical properties, behaviors, interactions, and performance of the actual object. Digital twins are utilized to gain insights, simulate, optimize, and manage complex systems.
Application Areas For Digital Twin
The concept of a digital twin is widely used in various fields including industrial design, manufacturing, energy, health, and city planning. Digital twins are versatile tools that have great potential to improve efficiency and optimize processes in the physical world.
According to the Gartner report, the popularity of the digital twin peaked in 2018. However, in the following years, this concept has found its place in different sectors and has evolved into various forms such as ‘Digital Human’, ‘Digital Customer’, ‘Machine Learning’, and ‘Artificial Intelligence’. This indicates that the digital twin is a continuous process.
Journey to the Future of Textile Factories
In a textile factory, thousands of data are produced in a minute on even only dyeing machines. Well, How many of these do we see? The machine was at 130°C, but while it rose to 130°C, was the steam usage as it should be?
The machine took 8 tons of water, but should this amount be ok., or how long time did take for this process, or how long has it taken for an equivalent machine? To add value to a business is possible only when these questions can be answered within seconds. So, we can say the journey to the future for textile factories will be shaped by digital twin technology.
Then, let’s look at why should we quickly move to these platforms, and how can we strengthen sustainability for the industry.
- Balance Between Sustainability and Innovation:The need for sustainability goals for a clean world makes itself felt very closely, especially in textiles. Digital twin platforms offer an effective solution by optimizing energy usage and resources, reducing costs, and utilizing data analysis and simulation capabilities. By adopting these platforms, businesses can successfully transition towards eco-friendly practices, which are essential for meeting the sustainability goals of textile customers.
- Data-Driven Decisions and Effective Use of Human Resources: The Digital Twin provides textile finishing factories with instant access to valuable data, enabling efficient process management and informed decision-making. With its time-saving capabilities, the Digital Twin also allows employers to strategically assign employees based on their unique skills and competencies, rather than simply focusing on operational tasks.
- Energy Efficiency and Resource Management: With the help of digital twin technology, you can quickly analyze data related to your factory including even excess steam or cooling water usage, and optimize energy consumption accordingly. This technology also enables you to monitor waste and measure your carbon and water footprints, providing opportunities for improvement and preventing unnecessary resource waste.
- Supply Chain Management and Transparency: Reporting at every stage of the supply chain is of great importance for sustainability. By tracking the process from raw material procurement to production, Digital twin platforms promote the use of sustainable materials and provide the ability to create sustainability scores. This allows for monitoring of the entire life cycle of a product, such as a pair of trousers or a kilogram of fabric, from the cotton sourcing to the finished product.
Besides the topics mentioned earlier, the importance of digital twin technology has become crucial due to regulations and circulars. The European Green Deal, EU Border Carbon Regulation, EU Circular and Sustainable Industrial Policies, and the Circular on Cleaner Production Practices in the Textile Sector were all published based on the goal of promoting sustainable practices. And now, With the planned live waste tracking automation systems and energy-efficient systems, the need for transitioning towards an infrastructure that supports these initiatives is imperative and all requirements are targeted with specific dates and deadlines. Eliar’s Digital Factory, which is a digital twin of textile factories, has been designed and improved by these coming obligations and Eliar’s futuristic perspective.
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Eray Genç
ELİAR
Product Manager