Digital Twins Crucial for German Industry

Many companies now use digital twins – virtual models of machines or entire buildings. Around two-thirds of German industrial firms consider them indispensable for remaining competitive internationally, according to a recent Bitkom study.

Digital twins – virtual replicas or models of plants or machine components – offer the advantage of enabling virtual testing of configurations, repairs, upgrades, and more, without disrupting ongoing operations. They support extensive simulation capabilities and thus replace some costly physical prototypes that might ultimately be discarded.

Their adoption in production in Germany rose by roughly half – from 33 to 48 percent – between 2022 and 2024. And nearly two-thirds of German industrial firms (63 percent) now regard digital twins as essential to staying competitive on the global stage. These findings come from a representative survey commissioned by Bitkom, Germany’s IT and telecommunications industry association.

Bridging the physical and digital worlds for optimal outcomes

German manufacturers of plant and machinery (73 percent) and automotive companies (67 percent) most strongly endorse this statement. Even industrial firms that currently do not use – or only rarely use – digital twins are convinced (50 percent) that they could be decisive for competitiveness.

The Bitkom survey covered 552 industrial enterprises with at least 100 employees. Slightly more than half of them (56 percent) reported being able to develop new business models using digital twins. However, digital twins are currently deployed productively by just under half of manufacturing companies. Those viewing the topic as a passing hype account for only 18 percent – making them a minority.

“Digital twins bridge the physical and digital worlds. Sensors enable real-time monitoring of machine status – and an increasing number of industrial companies are recognising the many advantages this offers for preventing failures, using resources efficiently, and enhancing production flexibility,” says Lukas Spohr, Bitkom expert for manufacturing and Industry 4.0 and spokesperson for digital transformation.

Image source: Pixabay / geralt

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