The Facets of Digital Twins in Production and the Automotive Industry

The digital twin is a great term that is frequently used in the context of digitalization and Industry 4.0. In discussions with other researchers and colleagues about the digital twin, it oftentimes becomes clear that everyone understands something different about the digital twin. This paper therefore compares the different facets of digital twins in the industrial environment of production. Different applications are shown, and a list of added values of a digital twin is derived based on these applications. The paper also covers the different facets of digital twins in the automotive industry and evaluates their practical benefits. In addition, the different technologies for realizing a digital twin are examined, and a concept for modeling the lifecycle of a production line via the digital twin is presented.