How Digital Twin Can Train Workers in the Automotive Industry

A crucial factor that made the most impact on employees/workers was the Industrial Revolution. With each industrial revolution came drastic changes and challenges for workers. But no matter the odds, they constantly adapt and evolve to the new world. The current workforce is somewhat experiencing the same with the rise of the fourth industrial revolution. 

One key technology that is leading this revolution is the Digital Twin. Here's a brief definition for those who don't know what a Digital Twin is. 

"It is the virtual replica of a physical object, asset, or process."

The technology is revolutionizing industries, including automotive, healthcare, construction, and more. And one such way it is revolutionizing the automotive industry is the way workers are trained. By properly implementing and using the tech, Digital Twin can enhance worker training in the automotive industry.

We will discuss how Digital Twin can help with worker training, its advantages and challenges, and what the future holds for the tech. 

Let's dive deep.  

The application of digital twins in the automotive industry is many. They can be used for model designing, manufacturing processes, predictive maintenance, and more. And with them helping engineers to test, experiment and optimize a vehicle, manufacturers can ensure top quality and performance. 

Moreover, digital twins in supply chain management can help improve logistics by offering real-time visualization and performance monitoring. 

Benefits of Digital Twins in the Automotive Industry

Engineers can experiment and try out new and efficient designs for vehicles. Digital twins allow them to test it under various conditions and optimize it better before the manufacturing process. 

• It can help improve the manufacturing process, leading to better productivity and fewer errors. 

• Service providers can monitor vehicles in real-time, helping them with predictive maintenance. Meaning they can spot potential problems and resolve them before they occur. 

• It provides a risk-free environment for training employees. We will delve into this in the next section. 

• Digital twins can reduce environmental carbon footprints by optimizing vehicles for fuel efficiency, reducing waste during manufacturing, and improving supply chain logistics. 

Now, these benefits are not just applicable to ICE automobiles but to EVs as well. In fact, digital twins in electric vehicles can do the most complicated process with ease. 

Let's look at how Digital twins help train workers in the automotive industries. 

Imagine an automobile workspace. Surely, training someone new to the job means learning from mistakes. It is something the supervillain used to say - inevitable. 

But with Digital Twins, there's an alternative approach. 

With a digital replica of the machinery, workers can gain practical knowledge without jeopardizing the vehicle or their safety. Furthermore, the technology will help provide a real-time and personalized learning experience. 

So, how does this work? 

How Does Digital Twin Enhance Worker Training?

Following are some ways Digital Twin helps in enhancing worker training. 

1. Interactive Learning Experience

Digital twins can provide a near-real experience, making learning more immersive and effective. By working on virtual replicas of machinery, trainees can get hands-on experience on how to do it and how not to. 

This way, they can learn the intricacies of operations in a much deeper way. A better way than traditional training methods. 

2. Continuous Learning & Adaptability

The real-world situation or process can change with time. A piece of new machinery may be integrated, or an extra step will be added to ensure product quality. Whatever may be the case, changes can happen, and digital twins can be modified accordingly. 

Digital twins can reflect these changes, allowing workers to constantly learn and adapt to new scenarios. 

3. Scenario Planning

On top of training for the applicable skills, companies can also simulate other plausible scenarios for training. This includes riskier scenarios that are impossible to simulate in the real world. 

For instance, consider a power plant. They must train their employees to properly manage and control their operations. And these operations are complex, and even the slightest mistake can lead to significant damage or shutdown. 

But with Digital twins, these employees can be trained with different risk scenarios and empower them to handle sudden pressure. And when we think of it, if Digital Twin were present in the late 1980s, Chernobyl wouldn't have even happened. 

These are currently a few ways Digital twins are used to train workers in the automobile industry. And companies are benefiting from this. The mentioned are only a few of the many digital twin use cases

Let's see some advantages of implementing Digital Twin for training workers. 

Advantages of Digital Twin Technology in Worker Training

1. Safety: With training happening in a virtual space, the endangerment level is none. This can be particularly beneficial for industries where safety is paramount. 

2. Cost-Effective: In real-world training, any mistakes in automobile industries are costly. Moreover, an error in the manufacturing process can lead to a significant loss, of both money and resources. But any errors happening in the virtual environment will cost the companies nothing. 

3. Performance Monitoring: Companies can track the performance of a worker and their progress in real-time. This provides personalized feedback on employees and develops plans to empower employees.

So what are the challenges that are restricting companies from adopting digital twins for training their employees? 

Potential Challenges of Digital Twin Technology in Worker Training

• To adopt, companies need workers experienced in the high-tech tech stacks for Digital Twins. The learning curve will be pretty steep, especially for workers unfamiliar with digital tools. 

• Digital Twins requires a vast amount of data to work, which may include sensitive information as well. Therefore, companies will require enterprise-level security in place to tackle cyber threats and ensure data privacy.

• Implementing Digital twins can be a costly service, especially for SMBs and SMEs. The high upfront costs are a significant barrier to adopting digital twins. 

• For a Digital Twin to be effective, it needs to work seamlessly with other systems in an organization. This may require significant changes to existing systems, which can be complex and time-consuming. Another challenge in implementing digital twins. 

Have any companies overcome these challenges and adopted Digital Twin for training workers? Yes! 

Let’s look at some of them.

1. Siemens

Siemens is one of the forerunners in using digital twins to boost their company's performance. And they use it to train their workers. 

They have created a digital twin of their electric motor production process and are using it to train their workers. They can learn the assembly and troubleshooting processes without affecting the actual procedure. 

By doing so, they not only reduced the training time of their workers but also enhanced the productivity and quality of work. 

2. General Electricals (GE)

GE uses Digital Twin in its aviation division for training and maintenance purposes. They have developed virtual replicas of aircraft engines to allow technicians to gain hands-on experience in a simulated environment. This enabled them to practice and learn how to troubleshoot and the procedures for maintenance.

Their employees were able to learn faster and improve their skills without the need for physical equipment.

3. Ford

Ford has already implemented digital twins in their manufacturing and designing process. And on top of that, they are using the tech to train their workers on complex vehicle assembly procedures and quality control measures. The result was they were able to streamline their operations, improve efficiency and enhance worker skills.

You can look up some examples of digital twins to get a better understanding

The potential of using Digital Twin in training automotive workers is vast. When talking about the future of tech in training workers, the following are some ways it can help.

1. Customized Training Programs

Companies can tailor the training program to the specific needs of individual workers. 

Companies can identify the weakness and strengths of a trainee by monitoring his/her performance. This allows them to further customize the program to strengthen their weakness. 

For instance, assume that a trainee is good at installing tires but struggles to align the car's headlight properly. By understanding this, the company can tailor the training specifically for that trainee. This way, he/she can improve their skill and make the most out of the training program. 

2. Predictive Analysis

Digital Twins can analyze the collected data to make predictions, which can anticipate the skills required in the future. 

For example, The future of the automotive industry is leaning more toward EVs and autonomous driving. Meaning there is a requirement for a new set of skills and knowledge. And Digital Twin can help here. 

3. Immersive Technologies

Combining techs like AR and VR with Digital Twins can give rise to a more immersive and intuitive training experience. This kind of training allows workers to FEEL and INTERACT with the machinery or entire assembly line virtually. Thus it makes the learning process more engaging and effective. 

4. AI and Machine Learning

Like how AR and VR, integrating AI and machine learning in digital twins can also make the training program more efficient. More Intelligent!

AI and machine learning programs can learn and adapt to a trainee's action in the virtual environment. In doing so, it provides instant feedback and personalized recommendations.

For example, when integrated with Digital Twin, AI could monitor each trainee's performance, precision, and even mistakes. If a particular trainee or group of trainees find it difficult to, say, align the door correctly. Then, the program can help these trainees by providing a step-by-step guidance video on how to do it.

In addition, AI can also personalize the training sessions to focus more on such weak areas until the trainee masters them. 

5. Enhanced Realism

As technology advances, the level of detail in a digital twin program will increase. As a result, it allows for the training programs to be more precise and accurate. This can help when it comes to complex tasks or procedures. 

6. Increased Scalability

In the future, with the advancement in cloud and edge computing, companies will be able to create Digital twins with even larger systems. Or multiple systems at once. 

This could pave the way for much bigger training programs, preparing workers for the interconnectedness of real-world manufacturing environments.

While it's safe to say that the future of Digital Twin in worker training looks bright, adopting the tech still poses a challenge. But as the popularity of Digital Twin increases, fewer will be the challenges. 

Also Read: Top 10 Advantages Of Cloud Computing: How It Helps Orgs 

To conclude, it should be noted that Digital Twin technology’s popularity is only on the rise. Which means the challenges companies face now, like the limited developers with expertise and experience and the higher cost, would dissipate in the future. 

How?  As the technology’s popularity increases, more and more companies will consider implementing them. 

And as the saying goes, “Where there is demand, there will be supply”.

The availability of developers will increase, leading to more companies using digital twins and may even see a dip in the pricing or cost required. But time is the crucial factor here.

It is better to invest in a digital twin project now, before any of your competitors can, and get a competitive advantage in the market. And for that, you need a development company in the market that offer top-quality digital twin solutions

Here is something to help you choose the right digital twin development company for your business. 

Or you can talk to a tech partner you can rely on, like Toobler. Their team of experts can help you with creating, implementing, and managing a digital twin that’s best fit for your business. Talk to our experts and get your doubts cleared about the project.