Head of Logistics
Fleet and flow
Fleet utilisation, patrolling, milk-run delays — and where to cut trucks without starving lines.
Why an operational digital twin
Scan, simulation, operational and predictive twins answer different questions. Only the operational one runs the shift — and it builds the spatial dataset every later AI layer needs.
Each layer is useful. The mistake is expecting one to do the job of another.
| Layer | What it answers | What it cannot do |
|---|---|---|
| 3D scan / CAD / BIM | Where are the walls and racks? | Show the forklift circling the buffer now |
| Simulation twin | What if we change the dock layout? | Update itself every shift |
| Operational twin twinzo | What is happening on the shopfloor right now, and what should we do? | Replace ERP / MES / WMS as systems of record |
| Predictive twin Unlocking | What will starve Line 3 in 20 minutes? | Needs the live spatiotemporal history the operational twin builds |
When Line 3 is waiting, a static layout file cannot say why. Last shutdown’s scan still shows walls and racks — not the milk-run that is already late. Internal moves still start on the radio, so the search happens on foot while the model does not update. Digital twin on the CapEx slide usually means a 3D shell →
Simulation answers a capital question before the purchase decision is made. When the run ends, the scene waits for the next scenario — it does not run the shift.
Live RTLS positions, IoT readings and production KPIs sit on the 3D model people already recognise. ERP, MES, WMS and SCADA keep owning orders, OEE and inventory. Supervisors stop walking the aisle to find a tugger; they open the twin.
That live spatiotemporal history is what later AI and predictive layers train on. Without it, “predictive twin” demos stay slideware.
From siloed systems to one live plant model. Each step raises maturity and value — and keeps what you already built.
00
Starting point
Siloed systems
01
Correlation
See where everything moves
02
Causality
Every move gets a purpose
03
Scale
From supplier to an assembly line, on one map
04
AI analytics
Understand why, then act
05
The big vision
Best in class is here — the whole plant, live, in one place
Start small. Prove value at every step. Nothing you build early gets thrown away.
Head of Logistics
Fleet utilisation, patrolling, milk-run delays — and where to cut trucks without starving lines.
Plant Manager
Idle minutes and recovered output in dollars — not another dashboard to maintain.
IT / OT
Connectors into systems you already trust. Cloud, on-prem or hybrid.
A 30-minute assessment against plants of similar size.
One hall or flow, with success metrics agreed up front.
The ones that already own the truth: ERP, MES, WMS, SCADA.
A short read from the engineers who run these deployments.
Match accuracy and scope to the logistics job before you buy sensors.