The digital twin market has been experiencing robust growth, driven by its increasing adoption across various industries. Several factors have contributed to this expansion, including advancements in the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics, coupled with the demand for improved operational efficiency and predictive maintenance. According to IoT Analytics, the digital twin market is forecast to grow at a CAGR of roughly 30% until 2027.
Digital twins replicate the physical attributes and behaviour of devices which are useful for analysing and testing, however, they don’t give manufacturers the complete picture of potential faults and inefficiencies.
Communications service providers in Asia have started deploying connectivity twins, an innovation in the IoT landscape that offers a specialised focus on network infrastructure that complements digital twins. By addressing connectivity challenges, connectivity twins accelerate IoT deployment, improve network reliability, and drive better business outcomes.
Why IoT matters in manufacturing and supply chains
Manufacturing plants are immensely complex beasts. Changes in products and the processes to create them happen often, so over the past few years, manufacturers have been keen to leverage IoT to connect machines that can optimise that process, creating a safer, more efficient facility.
They can have devices communicate with one another, sharing data to make autonomous decisions based on real-time information, or alert workers to performance and maintenance issues. Some of the popular use cases for IoT include safety monitoring, automating production line processes such as quality control, and providing more accurate data and analytics.
When it comes to the supply chain, IoT solutions can help track, manage, and deliver goods. Applications can help automate or monitor specific picking and packing processes, with brands like Amazon already using them. They can even monitor the entire supply chain, just as Volvo has done by using IoT to track the delivery of vehicle parts across various countries. If IoT provides the data, then digital twins visualise and provide better visibility over the data.
Digital twins are valuable tools for simulating and optimising manufacturing processes and products. They help manufacturers identify variations in product quality, detect defects, and uncover inefficiencies in production. By virtually cloning assets and processes, digital twins provide deeper insights and improved visibility into production lines, assets, and end-products, enabling better decision-making and process improvements. However, there’s a lot more to IoT that needs troubleshooting than just the devices themselves.
Any IoT application is made of three components: devices, applications, and connectivity. IoT devices collect the data, then the applications analyse and unlock the value from the data, and finally connectivity is used to bind it all together. The last bit often gets overlooked in IoT management, but the importance of connectivity cannot be understated here.
How connectivity twins work
If we take manufacturing as an example, connectivity twins are transforming the production sector by enhancing real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and automation. By providing a virtual model of the network infrastructure, connectivity twins allow manufacturers to oversee the performance of connected devices, ensuring seamless data flow and minimised disruptions.
In practice, this means virtually cloning the SIM or eSIM of a device to access information on connectivity. This helps maintain smooth production lines, improves quality control, and ensures consistent communication between automated systems and IoT devices.
Additionally, connectivity twins simplify the management of large-scale IoT deployments by offering centralised tools for monitoring and optimising device connectivity. This is particularly important in smart manufacturing environments with complex networks of sensors, machines, and cloud systems. They also enable better data integration and analysis, leading to more informed decision-making, efficient workflows, and optimised resource usage, all while supporting supply chain and logistics operations.
In the Asia-Pacific region, we can see the application of connectivity twins growing rapidly, driven by advancements in IoT, 5G, and smart manufacturing. Countries like China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore are at the forefront of adopting these technologies, leveraging connectivity twins to enhance industrial operations, smart city projects, and telecommunications networks.
In countries with strong industrial bases and digital transformation initiatives, leading companies are actively incorporating connectivity twins into their operations to gain a competitive edge, optimise processes, and improve overall efficiency.
Reduce stress levels with Twins
While the emergence of digital twin platforms from hyperscale cloud providers like AWS IoT TwinMaker and Azure Digital Twins has helped with the interconnection of data sources, connectivity management must be brought inside the device management platform. This is the missing piece to IoT.
Connectivity twins are not merely a novel technological advancement; they represent a significant step toward a future where IoT solutions are more intuitive, robust, and seamlessly integrated into enterprise operations. By incorporating connectivity twins, businesses can enhance the efficiency, reliability, and scalability of their IoT deployments, leading to more informed decision-making and improved overall performance.
