Digital Twins Enhance Product-Service Lifecycle Competitiveness and Sustainability
Implementing digital twins throughout a product's entire lifecycle, from design to disposal, can unlock new business opportunities that boost both competitiveness and sustainability in manufacturing.
International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing · 2023
Key Findings
- 01Digital twin-based lifecycle solutions contribute to competitiveness and sustainable value from design through usage optimization and renewal.
- 02Digital twins encourage companies to assess the value of data-based business and solutions throughout the entire product lifecycle, including end-of-life phases.
- 03An updated product-service lifecycle management framework can be inspired by the integration of digital twins.
Application
Design takeaway
Integrate digital twin technology into the product development process with a lifecycle perspective to identify opportunities for enhanced competitiveness and sustainability.
How to apply
When designing a new product or service, create a digital twin that evolves with the product, capturing data from manufacturing, usage, maintenance, and end-of-life scenarios to inform future iterations and business strategies.
Project actions
- 01Consider how a digital twin could represent your design project throughout its lifecycle.
- 02Think about what data a digital twin would need and how it could be used to improve the design or its impact.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Addresses a contemporary and relevant topic in manufacturing and digital technologies.
- +Proposes a practical framework for businesses to adopt.
Limitations
The complexity and cost of creating and maintaining comprehensive digital twins can be a significant barrier for smaller design projects.
Reliability & validity
The qualitative nature of the study, relying on expert interviews, provides rich insights but may have limited generalizability. The proposed framework's validity would be strengthened by empirical testing and case studies.
Think critically
To what extent can the benefits of digital twins be realized without significant investment in data infrastructure and expertise?
Design Principles
"Leverage digital twin technology to create a holistic, data-driven approach to product-service lifecycle management, fostering continuous improvement and sustainable practices."
This research highlights how digital twins are not just design tools but strategic assets that can drive value across the entire product-service lifecycle. By providing a dynamic, data-rich representation of a product, digital twins enable better decision-making, optimize resource utilization, and facilitate innovative business models focused on longevity and reuse.
What This Means for Your Design
Using a digital copy of a product (a digital twin) throughout its whole life, from making it to throwing it away, can help companies make more money and be better for the environment.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this study when discussing the use of digital models or simulations to analyze product lifecycles, sustainability, or business competitiveness in your design project.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
(2023). Digital twins in product-service lifecycles: a framework proposal for enhancing competitiveness and sustainability in manufacturing business. International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing. https://doi.org/10.1080/0951192x.2023.2264814 Retrieved from https://designdex.org/study/c1a86a42-598a-46ba-9761-8ffed76f8c96/digital-twins-enhance-product-service-lifecycle-competitiveness-and-sustainability
Paragraph starter
The integration of digital twins into product-service lifecycles presents a significant opportunity for enhancing both business competitiveness and sustainability in manufacturing. As explored by Timperi, Kokkonen, and Hannola (2023), digital twins can provide valuable data and insights from initial design through to end-of-life, enabling optimized usage, informed renewal strategies, and the development of novel data-based business models.
Source
International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing
Digital twins in product-service lifecycles: a framework proposal for enhancing competitiveness and sustainability in manufacturing business
journal · 2023
View sourceQuestions about this research
- What does the research say about digital twins enhance product-service lifecycle competitiveness and sustainability?
- Integrate digital twin technology into the product development process with a lifecycle perspective to identify opportunities for enhanced competitiveness and sustainability. Evidence: International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (2023).
- Why does "Digital Twins Enhance Product-Service Lifecycle Competitiveness and Sustainability" matter for design?
- This research highlights how digital twins are not just design tools but strategic assets that can drive value across the entire product-service lifecycle. By providing a dynamic, data-rich representation of a product, digital twins enable better decision-making, optimize resource utilization, and facilitate innovative business models focused on longevity and reuse.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Integrate digital twin technology into the product development process with a lifecycle perspective to identify opportunities for enhanced competitiveness and sustainability.
- What were the main findings?
- Digital twin-based lifecycle solutions contribute to competitiveness and sustainable value from design through usage optimization and renewal.. Digital twins encourage companies to assess the value of data-based business and solutions throughout the entire product lifecycle, including end-of-life phases.. An updated product-service lifecycle management framework can be inspired by the integration of digital twins.
- What research method was used?
- Qualitative research using semi-structured interviews..
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2023 journal from International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing a new product or service, create a digital twin that evolves with the product, capturing data from manufacturing, usage, maintenance, and end-of-life scenarios to inform future iterations and business strategies.
- What are the limitations?
- The study focuses on the potential and conceptual framework; concrete implementation challenges and detailed quantitative impacts require further investigation.
- Is there evidence that digital twins affects design outcomes?
- Digital twins offer significant advantages for manufacturing companies by improving competitiveness and sustainability across all stages of a product's life, from initial design to its eventual reuse or disposal. This research highlights how digital twins are not just design tools but strategic assets that can drive va Source: International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (2023).
- Where does this competitiveness sustainability research apply?
- Manufacturing industry, product-service lifecycles. It sits within modelling research on designdex.org.
Related research topics
digital twins design research · evidence on digital twins · does digital twins improve design outcomes · competitiveness sustainability studies for designers · digital twins and competitiveness sustainability findings · modelling research evidence