How to Maximise the Potential of the Digital Twin
Welcome to the final blog in this series, where we’ve explored how to maximise the potential of the Digital Twin and addressed some common obstacles on the path to digital transformation. So, what’s our conclusion?
A Transformative Conclusion
Our conclusion is not just a single takeaway but rather a convergence of major developments. These advancements are significant individually, but when combined, they become genuinely transformative.
Effective Deployment of New Capabilities
Emerging trends such as connectivity, automation, and machine learning are increasingly feeding into the Digital Twin concept. A Digital Twin can harness these technologies to drive innovation in product and system design, empowering organisations to do much more than just improve efficiency in existing processes.
As we’ve illustrated throughout this series, careful consideration is required to ensure these new capabilities are deployed effectively. This may not be a controversial statement, but the key insight from our perspective at Virtalis is that the evaluation of new technologies needs to be both broad and deep.
Visualisation: A Fundamental Building Block
We’ve discussed various examples from the aerospace and automotive sectors, showing how companies are rethinking their supply chains and go-to-market strategies in response to emerging technologies. One key takeaway is that a contextual Digital Twin can extend the value of this concept far beyond what’s traditionally expected.
In this context, visualisation is a fundamental building block of the Digital Twin. It’s no longer a niche tool or a futuristic concept. Today, visualisation is widely accessible through hand-held devices and head-mounted displays, making it an essential tool for businesses.
The Rise of Extended Reality
The future of visualisation is growing rapidly, with market projections predicting double-digit growth in extended reality technologies (which include augmented, mixed, and virtual reality) over the next five years. The current market size is already around $30 billion, and it’s expanding quickly.
Interestingly, credible market reports show that fewer than 20% of organisations don’t have a concrete plan for the future of visualisation within their business. If your company hasn’t developed such a plan—or if your needs haven’t been included in an existing one—it may be time to reassess your strategy.
What’s Next for Visualisation?
As we’ve explored throughout this blog series, integrating visualisation into your business requires thoughtful planning. The potential of the Digital Twin may remain theoretical if the unique needs of individuals and departments aren’t considered. Without considering the entire product lifecycle, many users can be left out of the loop.
The five components of the contextual Digital Twin provide a helpful checklist in this regard. While there’s no need to check all the boxes immediately, each element should be considered to ensure the system can expand and develop as needed in the future.
Looking Ahead
What does the future hold? We’ll leave the finer details for a future blog post, but one thing is certain: the way we view extended reality is evolving rapidly. If your organisation still sees visualisation as a niche or entertainment-based tool, you might already be falling behind