Resilience needs a new digital foundation

Manufacturers today face constant turbulence. Market fluctuations, supply uncertainties and increasingly complex production networks have revealed how fragile traditional value chains remain. Much of this fragility stems from fragmented digital systems that cannot share or interpret data coherently, leaving organisations unable to anticipate or absorb disruption.

The Digital twin and data spaces framework addresses this challenge by creating a unified digital environment where assets, processes and partners operate with a shared understanding.

Creating connected intelligence

At its core is the Asset Administration Shell (AAS), which standardises how machines, facilities and processes are represented digitally. Building on this, digital twins provide real-time insights into the condition and performance of assets.

Data spaces complete the architecture by enabling secure, sovereign data exchange across organisational boundaries. When combined, these elements dissolve longstanding data silos and enable consistent, trusted information flow throughout the value chain.

Quantifying and improving resilience

The framework embeds a Resilience Assessment service that evaluates plans using the Penalty of Change approach, measuring both the likelihood and cost of disruptions. This turns resilience into a quantifiable capability rather than an abstract goal.

With this insight, planning systems can automatically generate alternative scenarios or reschedule operations, ensuring value chains adapt before issues escalate.

Proven impact in an industrial setting

The approach was validated within a multinational steel producer where complex, interdependent processes heighten vulnerability. By modelling assets with the AAS and sharing data through secure data spaces, the company introduced resilience-aware planning at both the supply chain and factory levels.

This led to earlier risk detection, smoother reconfiguration and greater confidence in operational decisions.

Based on “A Digital Twin and Data Spaces Framework towards Resilient Manufacturing Value Chains”, published in IFAC PapersOnLine (Volume 58-19, 2024).