Methodology of the Development of Production Digital Twins Using a Simulation Experiment

Abstract

The simulation experiment evaluates whether the business process model accurately replicates real-world operations and whether the digital twin functions in real-time. A digital twin of a production business process is a virtual representation of its real-world counterpart. Its aim is to monitor the execution of the actual production business process in order to detect irregularities and production downtimes early and respond promptly by making optimal decisions. This paper presents the position of digital twins of business processes in relation to business process documentation, business process simulations, and the execution of process-oriented applications. The research problem is that existing business process management methodologies are not designed for the development of digital twins of business processes, and there is no established methodology that outlines the process of creating a digital twin of a production business process. The aim of this research paper is to introduce a methodology for developing production digital twins using the simulation experiment method. The significance of the proposed methodology lies in overcoming the limitations of current business process management approaches, which lack adequate support for developing digital twins. Therefore, it is important to enhance existing business process management methodologies to align them with modern requirements, particularly in the rapidly evolving domain of Smart Industry. To validate the proposed methodology, a digital twin model was developed for a private, non-profit organization operating a smart factory that produces drones. The results of the comparison between the simulated model and the production digital twin show no deviations in process duration between these two models. Additionally, the digital twin of the production business process accurately reflects its real-world counterpart in real time.