Need a Digital Thread?

PLM Processes

Go Digital and Boost your Business

Build a Digital Thread to Track Products from Development to End-of-Life

The Digital Thread

A digital thread is a communication framework that integrates data throughout the entire lifecycle of a product, from conception to end-of-life.

This continuous data stream allows companies to know precisely what has been built, sold, and serviced, reducing time-to-market, cutting costs, and facilitating timely product releases. Most importantly, it provides high-quality feedback, driving innovation and development.

However, establishing a digital thread is complex. Traditional sequential workflows in engineering, supply chain, and servicing complicate product tracking.

Additionally, scattered development, production, sales, and service locations, each with separate budgets and cultures, further increase the challenge. Ensuring seamless data transfer across departments and systems, maintaining data quality, and automating information flow are crucial but difficult tasks.

The Digital Twin

A digital twin represents a digital replica of a physical product, accurately tracking it from conception through production, sales, and post-sales.

It serves as a detailed digital blueprint, enabling companies to theoretically recreate the product with identical components, wear, and servicing history. This comprehensive traceability ensures that every part of the product is monitored at all times, with no substitutions or unlogged servicing.

Using IoT, sensors track the product in the field and provide real-time usage data. This data can identify how and when products fail, allowing for predictive maintenance and the anticipation of weak points.

With a genuine digital twin, businesses can shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive anticipation and avoidance of issues, sourcing the best components, and improving product development and servicing.