Digital siblings will be essential for highly customised lines

Where in the car factory of the future could Industry 4.0 technologies prove most useful? Gautam Dutta, Senior Director, Marketing, Siemens Industry Software Solutions, argues that over time, digitalisation will touch upon virtually every part of an OEM’s process, from conception to delivery. Indeed, he says, certain digital methods concerning design and development are already becoming standard practice. The use of digital product twin software to compose digital mock-ups and perform structural validation, along with the use of virtual reality to review product design, has been happening for several years.