Change2Twin is a European project, funded under the Horizon 2020 scheme, which supports manufacturing SMEs in their digitalization process by providing digital twin solutions. The concept of digital twins is one of the big game-changers in manufacturing and allows companies to significantly increase their global competitiveness. Now the project consortium including TTTech, has launched its first open call, which will provide 25 successful applicants in Europe with assessment and guidance on their way to their first digital twin.
Digital twins are game changers for manufacturing businesses
What is a digital twin exactly? “In simple terms, a digital twin is a digital reproduction of a physical object – like a product, a machine or even a complete production plant.” Dr. Francesca Flamigni, Technical Project Manager for Change2Twin at TTTech, explains. “Combining the digital representation with real-time data from an Edge/IoT platform makes digital twinning a very powerful technology for enabling predictive maintenance applications, preventing operational downtime, developing innovative products or improving the customer experience.”
TTTech Industrial contributes to the project by providing its open edge computing platform Nerve Blue for collecting real-time data from the machine or industrial line and by implementing it in several pilots to demonstrate its capability to support the deployment of the Digital Twin.
What makes a digital twin special is that it can serve as the basis for more effective business decisions. Making important decisions based on digital data can save costs in all lifecycle phases, especially for SMEs and midcaps. For example, maintenance or replacement work can now be carried out as needed, no longer following a fixed schedule. The entire production process can be set up digitally before physically producing anything. The aim of the EU-funded Change2Twin Project is to provide as many European enterprises as possible with the required technological know-how and resources and thus accelerate industrial digitalization across the continent.
First Open Call launched to assess potential for digital twins
Interest in the project is already skyrocketing: “When the project was introduced at the Austrian Summit Industrie 4.0 in December 2020, it generated a large audience and a high level of interest,” Marcela Alzin, Communication and Exploitation Manager for Change2Twin at TTTech, elaborates. “We believe that this interest will only increase on a European level. Digital twinning really is one of the most important trends in industrial tech right now.”
The Open Call that launched in January will provide successful applicants with an “Assessment Voucher” worth up to 10,000€. This voucher can be exchanged for a thorough assessment and three “recipes for implementation” by one of the Digital Innovation Hubs (DIH) certified by the European Commission. The Call is open until 29 March 2021 and is specifically addressed to SMEs and midcaps from the EU and associated countries. A second Open Call, scheduled for June 2021 will then provide “Deployment Vouchers” worth up to 90,000€ to turn these recipes into digital twins.
Next to TTTech, the project consortium includes research and technology organizations such as SINTEF, TNO and the University of Bologna, technology providers such as Jotne EPM Technology AS, CloudBroker GmbH and BOC GmbH and company accelerators and incubators such as Funding Box and Images&Reseaux, among others.
*Change2Twin has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program under grant agreement No 951956.
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