How to Use Digital Twins to Optimize Warehouses

The rapid rise of online shopping has put significant pressure on warehouses, which must contend with accelerating demand growth and customer expectations of fast delivery with short lead times. Warehouse managers, as a result, are reviewing their technology investments and looking for new tools that can help them streamline warehouse operations.

Digital twins virtual replicas of a physical object, like a building may help them visualize warehouse operations and coordinate data from sources like new IoT sensors.

This is how businesses are beginning to use digital twin technology to optimize warehouses and the implications this change could have for both the warehouse sector and industry in general.

What Are Digital Twins?

Digital twins are executable, virtual copies of a physical object. Engineers, designers, and managers use them to more effectively visualize a complex real-world object, emulate characteristics of the object, and simulate how the object may respond to different conditions.

The technology is typically used for any sufficiently complex physical object. In addition to warehouses, digital twins may also be used to optimize or test airplanes, vehicles, consumer electronics, buildings, and other assemblies. Digital twins ideally replicate their paired object in as much detail as possible, but some twins may just focus on replicating one or two important components of the real-world object.

An architect wanting to optimize a building’s HVAC system, for example, may commission a digital twin that only replicates the physical structure of the building and the HVAC components like vents, filters, ducts, and boilers.

Warehouse digital twins often attempt to replicate the building with as much detail as possible, often down to the positioning of individual products on warehouse shelves.

Information about these products or shelves is included in the digital twin, and it‘s often possible to use SQL or a similar tool, like Microsoft‘s proprietary query language for Azure Digital Twins, to identify particular pallets or inventory in the warehouse.

Why New Technology Streamlines Warehouse Operations

One of the most significant challenges warehouse managers face is the disruption that can come with automation. Integrating new technology, altering warehouse layouts, or changing work procedures can all disrupt day-to-day operations.

Because warehouses are dealing with increased demand and operate 24/7, any disruption can have a major impact on the warehouse’s productivity and profitability.

However, major changes are sometimes necessary to make warehouses more efficient warehouse organization in particular can have a significant impact on productivity, accuracy, and available storage space. Digital twins can help warehouses optimize operations while minimizing disruptions to current work.

Virtual experiments using the data enable managers to test changes without impacting real-world equipment or needing to train employees in new workflows. They can also help managers get a better sense of warehouse operations instantly offering real-time information and at-a-glance visualization of their warehouse that can enable better decision-making.

Designing Digital Twins for Warehouse Optimization

The foundation for a warehouse’s digital twin is a one-to-one model of the physical structure of the warehouse. Additional digital twin information like data from building systems, warehouse hardware, and intelligent sensors fill out this framework, providing warehouse managers with a kind of virtual, searchable diorama of their warehouse.

This model is also continuously updated with new information from networked data sources around the warehouse, like smart sensors and RFID systems.

For example, a digital twin may feature information from an intelligent conveyor system or warehouse robot sensors, providing real-time information on how those machines are operating. At a glance, warehouse managers could tell where these machines are, how soon they’ll need maintenance, and where they may be creating bottlenecks.

The digital twin can also provide data on essential building systems, like the HVAC system and warehouse lighting. Intelligent lightbulbs and smart thermostats can provide additional data for the twin and offer additional remote control capabilities to managers.

These systems can’t help to optimize workflows, but can help a manager reduce operational costs. Using the smart technology, they can dynamically optimize lighting, temperature settings, and humidity for both cost-effectiveness and worker comfort.

Using a Digital Twin for Warehouse Management

As with most digital twins, the warehouse’s digital twin uses this available information to provide two functions: visualization and simulation.

Warehouse digital twins are typically searchable, allowing managers to use algorithms or query languages to isolate or identify particular areas, layout elements, or warehouse items. Information on item location can also provide a real-time view of how traffic is moving around the warehouse.

Importantly, the digital twin also enables some level of warehouse simulation. With data collected from historical warehouse operations, digital twin technology can simulate the impact of a potential operational change or equipment upgrade.

This simulation can help managers develop a more educated guess as to how a change to layout or warehouse equipment may impact operations.

For example, a manager may use the digital twin and saved warehouse traffic data to simulate the impact of a layout change that improves available storage space. With this simulation, they’ll have a better understanding of how the new layout may help or hinder warehouse productivity.

Potential Future Applications of Warehouse Digital Twins

As warehouse smart technology becomes more common and sophisticated, digital twin technology may provide additional benefits to factory managers.

New smart sensors could easily provide additional information for the twin, making it an even better representation of reality. The growing adoption of smart robots and warehouse automation equipment could further improve visualizations of how goods move around the warehouse.

Digital twins could also make the adoption of smart technology easier for warehouse managers. Many new smart machines and warehouse robots include sensors that track variables relevant to machine health. The digital twin could include this information and relevant analysis to provide managers with instant access to important numbers on machine operation, and predictions of when machines will need maintenance next.

Digital Twins Can Transform Warehouse Management

For busy warehouses where downtime could mean significant productivity loss, digital twins are an invaluable tool. With the right information, it’s possible for managers to more effectively visualize their warehouses and simulate potential workflow or layout changes.

While these digital twins can require some investment and work best when facility data is abundant, the benefits they provide are often worth the cost.