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“Follow The Twin” Chal­lenge at SPS 2023: Multi-Vendor AAS in Action

WHAT WE
MADE HAPPEN

A new multi-vendor AAS plat­form was imple­mented to simplify data manage­ment with stan­dard­ized digital twins. For the first time, users can access all rele­vant product data from various vendors in a stan­dard­ized form on-the-go and on-demand.

THE CHAL­LENGE
WE SOLVED

Product data is often deliv­ered in incon­sis­tent formats, requiring time-consuming restruc­turing and vendor-specific inte­gra­tion. This project addressed the lack of inter­op­er­ability by commit­ting all partic­i­pating part­ners to use the same stan­dard for both content and provi­sioning of product infor­ma­tion.

WHY THE RESULTS
MATTER (AND FOR WHOM)

Users benefit from a unified and straight­for­ward way to gather supplier data, from engi­neering to oper­a­tion, across inde­pen­dent vendors. The result: vendor-inde­pen­dent access to stan­dard­ized, up-to-date data, without costly point-to-point connec­tions or trans­la­tion efforts.

Tech­nical bene­fits:

  • No point-to-point connec­tion is neces­sary for each vendor; every­thing is possible over the same stan­dard.
  • Stan­dard­ized infor­ma­tion across all vendors means no addi­tional trans­la­tion or restruc­turing of data is needed.

Busi­ness bene­fits:

  • Paper­less provi­sioning of product data – avail­able on demand to the right people when they need it.
  • Vendor inde­pen­dent – no costly solu­tions needed for connecting each vendor.
  • Up-to-date infor­ma­tion.

Partic­i­pating
MEMBERS AT SPS 2023

INSIGHTS
AND Q&A

What is the Asset Admin­is­tra­tion Shell (AAS) and what benefit does it bring?

The Asset Admin­is­tra­tion Shell (AAS) is the stan­dard­ized digital twin for indus­trial assets. It provides a common struc­ture to describe machines, compo­nents, and systems in a way that is machine-read­able and inter­op­er­able across vendors. Instead of dealing with different data formats and propri­etary inter­faces, the AAS makes product infor­ma­tion avail­able in a consis­tent, stan­dard­ized form.

The benefit is that compa­nies save time and effort in handling product data. Engi­neering, oper­a­tions, and main­te­nance teams can access up-to-date infor­ma­tion directly, without costly point-to-point inte­gra­tions or manual restruc­turing. For suppliers, the AAS reduces dupli­ca­tion of work by providing data once in a stan­dard­ized way. For users, it creates vendor-inde­pen­dent access to reli­able infor­ma­tion, enabling smoother collab­o­ra­tion, faster inte­gra­tion, and ulti­mately more effi­cient processes across the entire life­cycle of an asset.

Why the digital twin/ AAS should be inter­op­er­able?
  • Effi­cient Data Exchange: One of the primary purposes of ensuring inter­op­er­ability between the Digital Twin and AAS is to facil­i­tate a stan­dard­ized and effi­cient exchange of data across different stages of produc­tion. This stan­dard-confor­mant data exchange is partic­u­larly bene­fi­cial in engi­neering sectors, where various stake­holders like manu­fac­turers, suppliers, and customers are involved. Through the defined AAS stan­dard, digital twins can be exchanged effi­ciently among different part­ners, thereby enhancing the process of engi­neering.
  • Industry 4.0 Align­ment: The inter­op­er­ability aligns well with the objec­tives of Industry 4.0, which advo­cates for enhanced connec­tivity, stan­dard­iza­tion, and data sharing among indus­trial assets. This inter­op­er­ability is described as a pillar of the mission state­ment for Industry 4.0. By estab­lishing a stan­dard­ized digital repre­sen­ta­tion (Digital Twin) via AAS, Industry 4.0’s goals of creating an inter­op­er­able, sustain­able, and sover­eign indus­trial ecosystem are advanced.
  • Manu­fac­turer Inter­op­er­ability: The AAS is instru­mental in achieving manu­fac­turer inter­op­er­ability, meaning it enables the exchange of data between assets from different manu­fac­turers. This is a signif­i­cant advan­tage for manu­fac­turers, suppliers, customers, and facto­ries, as it simpli­fies coop­er­a­tion and promotes a stan­dard­ized repre­sen­ta­tion of data. The inter­op­er­ability thus facil­i­tates better coor­di­na­tion among different stake­holders involved in the produc­tion ecosystem .
  • Support for Autonomous Systems and AI: The Asset Admin­is­tra­tion Shell not only supports the exchange of data but also lays a digital and inter­op­er­able foun­da­tion for autonomous systems and Arti­fi­cial Intel­li­gence (AI). It does this by struc­turing data in a way that can be stan­dard­ized, found, modeled, retrieved, and forwarded, covering the entire life­cycle of prod­ucts, devices, machines, and facil­i­ties. This struc­tured data handling is essen­tial for real­izing complex solu­tions and contin­uous value chains, which are core to the func­tioning of autonomous systems and AI in an indus­trial setup
  • Imple­men­ta­tion Chal­lenges: The scope of imple­men­ta­tion possi­bil­i­ties, use cases, and complexity in the produc­tion envi­ron­ment can be chal­lenging, espe­cially for small and medium-sized enter­prises (SMEs), but also for larger compa­nies. The inter­op­er­ability between the Digital Twin and AAS helps in navi­gating these chal­lenges by providing a struc­tured approach towards imple­menting digital twins in a norm-compliant digital produc­tion

Inter­op­er­ability between the Digital Twin and Asset Admin­is­tra­tion Shell is crucial for stan­dard­izing data exchange, aligning with Industry 4.0 objec­tives, facil­i­tating manu­fac­turer inter­op­er­ability, supporting autonomous systems and AI, and navi­gating imple­men­ta­tion chal­lenges in the produc­tion envi­ron­ment.