Enterprise Simulation Meeting Digital Twinning …

I discussed the idea of Enterprise Simulation in a previous blog and reviewed the evolution and implementation paths we’ve observed over the last decade. In this blog, we will discuss how that concept can actually be a fundamental and integral part of a digital twin.

As we all know, simulation modeling is closely related to the concept of causality. Whether you believe causality is derived from reason and logical deduction or from experience, simulation modeling allows you to recreate causal chains in a virtual environment. This virtual representation serves as a risk-free testbed for experimentation before committing to real-world decisions.

A Digital Twin, on the other hand, is a broader concept encompassing any form of digital representation of a physical object, process, or system. This representation doesn't necessarily have to be based on a causal model of how the object, process, or system functions. Instead, real-time or near-real-time data from the actual entity can form the basis of a Digital Twin without any underlying causal model.

To utilize the power of simulation modeling as the main embodiment or as an enhancement of a data-centric twin, you have two options:

1. Building your Digital Twin from the ground up around a causal model, creating what would be a Simulation-Based Digital Twin.

2. Alternatively, enhancing a primarily data-driven Digital Twin by integrating causal elements, adding a prospective dimension. This allows the Twin not only to show what is happening but also to look into potential future scenarios through the cause-and-effect chains encoded by the Simulation Model.

The two paths above can be applied to just one node (e.g., one restaurant, fulfillment center, or warehouse), which basically means that we have a Digital Twin of one node utilizing simulation modeling as its main embodiment or enhancing the data-driven twin.

But this can be just the start. If we superimpose either of the two options above on a graph of nodes (an enterprise-wide digital twin), then we can create a set of deployed (and possibly interconnected) digital twins enhanced by simulation modeling. These are likely to be used at the operational level and accessible to a large number of stakeholders across the organization.

This is the concept I explored in great detail in a past blog post on AnyLogic. Here is the link to that article, but read it knowing that whenever I mention Enterprise Simulation, I am pointing to a modular digital twin (imagine a graph of nodes), with each node of that graph being a digital twin. Then, add simulation to each of those digital twin nodes to enhance them with prospection.

I am going to update this blog post with more details in the near future, but in the meantime, the blog post on the AnyLogic website should expand on the idea further.

At Creatura, our expertise is in helping you scale your simulation modeling ideas or existing work into an enterprise-wide decision-making tool. We would be very happy to be your advisor along the way and assist you in your journey, including selecting software ecosystems, sourcing talent, project scoping, pragmatic execution plans & project management, effective communications, identifying relevant and useful stakeholders, reducing failure risks, contingency plans, training your internal team, and providing architectural and technical support.