A Philips plant in Drachten, the Netherlands, is preparing for a trial of "digital twin" technologies, part of a wider EU-funded research project aiming to bolster European manufacturing in the face of intensifying global competition. Digital twin tech incorporates AI, cloud computing, robotics, and blockchain to simulate production processes, helping to identify areas for optimization. The EU's €5B manufacturing sector faces external competition and domestic environmental regulations, alongside energy price hikes due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and COVID-19-induced supply chain disruptions. - The EU has initiated a €1.15B Factories of the Future public-private partnership to encourage innovation in manufacturing, emphasizing the sector's importance to policy agendas.
- Prominent manufacturers such as Airbus and Schneider Electric are exploring digital twin technologies and establishing virtual factories.
- The DIMOFAC project, started in 2019, developed a "Plug and Produce" system to enhance manufacturing agility by connecting actual machinery with their digital twins.
- This system will undergo testing in five real production facilities across Europe, with results expected in Q1 2024.
- Another EU-funded project, FIRST, aimed at using digital factories to improve efficiency across geographically dispersed production sites.
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