How ABB deployed a digital twin to boost operation excellence in the supply chain

Heymen Jansen, group vice president and head of advanced process analytics at ABB, speaks at Process Mining Live: 2020 on the implementation, impact and benefits of a digital supply chain

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Adam Jeffs
Adam Jeffs
08/10/2020

As more and more physical entities or assets become linked with the Internet of Things (IoT) and gain the ability to provide real-time data, reporting on metrics such as performance or condition, the concept of a ‘digital twin’ is gaining traction. A digital twin is a virtual representation of a real-world entity or system, that is capable of simulating the behaviour and dynamics of this entity allowing for accurate reporting and assisting with predictions.

At Process Mining Live: 2020, Heymen Jansen, group vice president and head of advanced process analytics at ABB, offered attendees a detailed look into how the global technology giant has optimized its supply chain through the production of a digital twin, with the help of process mining.

Jansen noted that ABB have a complex supply chain, involving a wide range of internal and external orders. ABB had a goal to turn real-time supply chain events and data into actions. To accomplish this, ABB endeavoured to generate a ‘data layer’ on top of supply chain and logistics processes and process mining was selected as the tool to achieve this and to facilitate the rollout of what Jansen referred to as digital operations.  

By identifying individual processes through process mining and ensuring that all systems and locations within the organization are linked, ABB was able to generate an end-to-end digital view of the supply chain. By measuring metrics such as lead-time, performance and quality, ABB attained a complete end-to-end view of the supply chain process for every customer order, which allowed visibility on errors and deviations in real-time that can be actioned to optimize these processes.

Jansen explained that with a digital twin, ABB are able to access a range of insights, such as price changes or delivery date changes, that facilitate operational excellence and allows analysis and simulation of the impact of errors and issues throughout the supply chain.

Watch the video above to learn more about how ABB attained an unprecedented level of visibility and control over its supply chain through the development of a digital twin and how you can take a step toward implementing digital operations in your organization.


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