DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JULY/AUGUST 2020
RETURN, RESTART,
REPURPOSE
Digital transformation should sit at the heart of the
industry’s post-COVID recovery
Many businesses are still reeling
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BY DR ANDY LEVERS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VIRTUAL ENGINEERING CENTRE
from the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic, but for manufacturers
the impact has been particularly
severe. The virus has disrupted
manufacturing operations on a
massive scale, stripping demand for some
products whilst creating unprecedented spikes
for others. This has left manufacturers dealing
with ever changing production volumes, an
under-pressure supply chain and fl uctuating
environment to support
process and people fl ow
planning. This would aid the
creation of a socially distanced
production environment and
allow businesses to map out
and test any changes to how
a workforce could enter or
exit a space. In addition, the
creation of this virtual factory
would allow manufacturers
to test diff erent scenarios,
including the introduction of
new machinery, without risking
real-time interruption to
production.
There is often an
assumption that a lack of
access to 3D or CAD models
of a production facility puts
the digital twin beyond reach,
but that is not the case. A
number of key technologies
can be utilised to create
the digital twin, including
Light Detection and Ranging
(LIDAR) scanning, a remote
sensing technology and
surveying method which uses
laser scanners to measure
distances and dimensions of
landscapes and buildings.
This data can then be
converted to create a digital
twin, supported by techniques
such as discrete event
simulation and visualisation.
workforce demands.
The pandemic has exposed
serious vulnerabilities in
traditional manufacturing
environments. And those
who have suff ered the most
have been the businesses
whose operational models
have not allowed them to be
agile in their response. Digital
transformation was already
the route to cutting costs,
identifying effi ciencies and
boosting productivity, but in a
post-COVID world it might be
the only way for manufacturers
to survive the new normal.
So, how can businesses
embrace digital transformation
and use digital technologies to
allow them to Return, Restart
and Repurpose?
Return:
For all businesses, returning to
operational normality is vital,
but the new normal means that
they cannot simply return to
operating as they did before.
However, there are digital
planning and communication
tools which can expedite that
return to normality and future
proof the business against any
further disruption.
Digital Twins have long been
heralded as one of the most
eff ective ways of unlocking
the value in manufacturing
date, but in a post pandemic
environment the options for
the application of digital twins
has never been wider or more
important. Manufacturers
could create a digital twin or
replica of their production
CAD
models of a facility are
not a prerequisite for
developing a digital twin
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