N+P aims to help data flow consistently in companies by linking together IT systems. It sees the engineering data for a machine as a valuable basis for creating a digital 3D likeness that helps "give birth" to a digital twin. Enhanced with information from other core IT systems such as ERP and MES systems, this engineering data is pooled to form a visual copy of the machine that combines actual machine parameters and production KPIs in real time. The very latest technologies are used to achieve this, such as the Autodesk FORGE platform, which is designed to work with the MES system developed by N+P (NuPMES) to create the ideal conditions for the digital twin to thrive.

Once the digital twin is alive and kicking, it can be used on a day-to-day basis in production to help staff resolve machine faults with a mobile end device such as 3D data glasses. The troubleshooting steps are displayed on the mobile end device to help the user fix the problem on the machine independently. This should avoid all the hassle of calling out a service engineer. What’s more, live production data and the machine status can also be visualized on a mobile device so current production performance can be checked at a glance and preventive action taken if maintenance work is due or a bottleneck is developing in material flows. These scenarios should continue to evolve in all sorts of ways, culminating in a completely digital factory. The team from N+P is at HANNOVER MESSE 2019 to advise visitors on how they could use this technology and what process improvements it could help them achieve.