What Are Digital Supply Chain Twins? 

Supply chains need stability to support operations and stay insulated from supply and demand changes, and you can boost your supply chain management methods with a digital twin. This technology will help you understand the impact of changes, gain oversight, and make strategic decisions. 

Digital Supply Chain Twins Explained 

A digital supply chain twin replicates a physical object or system in the digital sphere. The computer model represents various supply chain processes and components, such as production facilities, transportation networks, and warehouses. 

The digital twin uses a network of sensors to observe the physical environment, oversee the internal and external moving parts in the supply chain, and build nonlinear supply chain models, which allows the digital twin to gather real-time data. The twin learns from the information and the contexts through other digital twins in the network, human interactions, and devices by computing this data and analyzing various scenarios. 

Digital twins consist of technologies and their various analytical capabilities. These technologies can include: 

• Sensors 
• Visualizations 
• Artificial intelligence (AI) 
• Simulations 
• Cloud computing 
• Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) 

Creating a digital twin of a supply chain involves defining the components and processes of the supply chain and understanding the relationship between them. 

Benefits of Digital Supply Chain Twins 

Digital twin technology offers several benefits, including: 

• Comprehensive visibility: A major benefit of digital supply chain twins is their powerful, near-human capabilities. Their ability to analyze complex datasets to identify patterns means digital twins can make decisions on your behalf or support critical decision-making efforts. 
• Response plan development and support: Digital twins can predict issues, allowing you to test response plans and identify risk assessments. Planning for potential future issues allows you to minimize negative impacts and prevent the problem from occurring again. 
• Optimized transportation: This technology can use real-time data to assess supply and demand impacts at physical locations. As a result, you can plan your resources to achieve efficient and on-time deliveries by avoiding shortages and blockages. 
• Increased productivity: Digital supply chain twins can run simulations to understand how changes will impact your current operations. This testing helps you see the positive impacts and unintended consequences of your decisions before implementing them. 

Gain Insight into Your Supply Chain with a Digital Twin 

Digital twins are a valuable asset in supply chain operations. At TrueCommerce, we help companies achieve a supply chain that is efficient, cost-effective, and resilient against changes. Contact us to learn more about digital supply chain twins and our other solutions.