Using a Digital Twin for Production Planning and Control in Industry 4.0

Simulation models are one of the most used quantitative approaches for modeling and decision-making in production and logistic systems. In the Industry 4.0 context, new paradigms arise from the possibility of collecting and storing large amounts of data in real-time and throughout productive and logistical operations, enabling the development of Digital Twins concept and related approaches. In this context, this chapter discusses the application of simulation models in productive and logistic systems. A bibliometric analysis was conducted, reviewing main concepts and applications illustrated in the literature. On the sequence, a digital twin approach for production planning and control using current cyber-physical systems state data in real-time is presented. The approach is evaluated by means of a real-world scenario involving a manufacturer supplying mechanical parts to the automotive industry. This evaluation shows that the approach is able to improve the performance of the production system for three different key performance indicators.