Virtual Twin Experiences for Manufacturing Industries
Explore how virtual twin technology revolutionizes product development, lifecycle management, supply chains and other key areas of manufacturing industries.
What is a Virtual Twin for Manufacturing Industries?
Manufacturing Industries drive innovation and enhance people’s lives by developing innovative and sustainable products through circular practices, resilient systems and advanced technologies.
They help shape a stronger future by transforming raw materials into finished or semi-finished goods through streamlined industrial processes, to produce vehicles, electronics, industrial equipment, textiles and more.
At the heart of this transformation lies the virtual twin: a data-driven and executable digital model representing real-world components and operations. Grounded in scientific laws, it integrates real-time data to simulate behavior with precision, enabling efficient process control, product monitoring, and continuous improvement from design to end of life.
At Dassault Systèmes, we believe that virtual twins are the cornerstone of the next industrial revolution. By providing a unique representation of complex systems and processes, connecting real life with virtual worlds, we provide our clients trusted environments to learn, innovate & operate, capitalizing on their knowledge & know-how.
Supporting every phase of the production lifecycle — from ideation to manufacturing — virtual twins empower creators and operators to simulate, test and optimize before any product or process is built. This fosters innovation along with sustainable decision-making, helping manufacturers reduce environmental impact and carbon emissions at every stage of the process.
By reimagining how goods are designed and produced, virtual twin experiences shift focus from one-size-fits-all products to personalized, evolving solutions and from rigid, centralized methods to flexible, adaptive systems. They help anticipate future needs while balancing progress with environmental responsibility.
Dassault Systèmes goal — indeed, our obsession — is to deliver virtual twin experiences that enable the creation of sustainable products and services, harmonizing product, nature and life without compromising future generations.
Our virtual twins experiences are catalysts for transformation. By combining modeling, simulation, data-science & AI-generated content, they enable us to drive unprecedented advancements in design, engineering, manufacturing, and beyond. With virtual twins, we are redefining what's possible, setting new standards for industry and shaping the future of technology.
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Discover how the 3DEXPERIENCE platform accelerates sustainable vehicle development—from concept design to engineering and manufacturing—through immersive virtual twin experiences.
How Do Virtual Twins Go Beyond Digital Twins in Manufacturing?
Virtual twins extend digital twins by merging virtual and real-world data to create dynamic, experience-driven models. They enable real-time simulations and optimizations, transforming manufacturing from traditional production to experience creation.
By integrating simulations and digital data, virtual twins drive innovation, enhance efficiency and play a key role in reducing carbon emissions, shaping sustainable manufacturing ecosystems to positively impact the future.
The World Needs Manufacturers
Manufacturing is at a crossroads, facing pressures from geopolitical tensions, rising customer demands and environmental challenges. At the same time, advancements like smart factories and new technologies such as AI offer opportunities to rethink operations.
In our Manufacturing Industries Trends Guide, we explore key trends, their impact on business transformation and steps to take now to prepare for the future.
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Revolutionizing Manufacturing Industries with Virtual Twins
Explore how virtual twins are transforming manufacturing with precision, innovation and improved product outcomes.
How Virtual Twins Address Challenges in Products, Production Systems and Organizations
Discover how virtual twin technology enhances products, optimizes production systems and transforms organizations to drive performance and resilience.
Virtual twin of a product
Simulate, analyze and optimize the behavior and lifecycle of a physical product through a scientific digital replica that evolves with real-world data—enabling smarter decisions and improved performance.
Virtual twin of a production system
Model, simulate and optimize end-to-end production systems as dynamic, data-driven ecosystems. Integrate processes, supply chains, resources and operations to test scenarios, improve performance and support agile, sustainable decision-making.
Virtual twin of an organization
Visualize, analyze and steer your organization as a dynamic system of systems. Connect value networks, simulate future scenarios and uncover strategic opportunities to boost resilience and business performance.
Real-World Applications of Virtual Twins in Manufacturing Industries
Virtual twins are revolutionizing manufacturing by adding value across all lifecycle stages, from planning facilities and processes to production. Serving a wide range of industries, virtual twins allow products and processes to start in the virtual realm, and being subject to simulations to optimize designs and workflows.
Once production is live, real-time data is fed back to the virtual twin, driving continuous improvements in efficiency, quality and adaptability. Virtual twins enable manufacturers to enhance operations, reduce costs and meet industry-specific regulations and challenges with speed.
Let’s explore how virtual twins are being applied in real-world scenarios, by Dassault Systèmes customers, to drive innovation and solve complex challenges across various manufacturing sectors.
L'OCCITANE en Provence, Laboratoires M&L
L'Occitane en Provence leverages virtual twin technology to enhance manufacturing efficiency and ensure safety in their factories.
Virtual Twin as a Service (VTaaS) empowers the company to quickly simulate real-world operations, optimize processes and create safer, more sustainable production environments.
This approach enables continuous improvements, helping them meet high standards for quality and operational excellence.
Virtual Twins Across Manufacturing Industries' Value Chain
Ready to Dive Deeper and Discover Our Brands Specializing in Manufacturing Industries?
Dassault Systèmes portfolio includes powerful 3D modeling, simulation and information intelligence applications that enable manufacturing industries to create virtual twins for optimized products and operations.
Powered by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, our brand solutions seamlessly connect data and processes—driving sustainable innovation across the entire product lifecycle.
Our approach is rooted in end-product thinking. We build on deep expertise to support every phase: from creation and operations to continuous improvement. This generates virtual twins that evolve with the product, enhancing performance and sustainability over time.
Virtual twins accelerate a wide variety of products, including vehicles, satellites, aircraft, electronic devices, semiconductors and autonomous mobile robots.
Take a closer look at how we make it happen by exploring our brand portfolio.
Curious About Virtual Twins? Find Answers in Our FAQ.
A virtual twin in manufacturing is a dynamic, digital replica of a physical system, enabling real-time simulation, analysis and optimization of processes, products and performance throughout the lifecycle.
While both virtual twins and digital twins are used in manufacturing to optimize processes, they differ in scope and functionality.
Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical assets, capturing real-time data to monitor and analyze performance. They help manufacturers track operations, detect issues and improve efficiency.
Virtual twins go beyond digital twins by integrating real-world data with advanced simulation and modeling capabilities. They enable manufacturers to not only monitor but also predict, optimize and simulate entire systems, from product design to production and operations.
By leveraging virtual twins, manufacturers can drive continuous innovation, enhance decision-making and create more sustainable and adaptive production environments.
A virtual twin enhances manufacturing processes by enabling real-time simulation, optimization and predictive analysis. It allows manufacturers to digitally test designs, production methods and workflows digitally before implementation, reducing errors and improving efficiency. By integrating real-world data with AI and analytics, virtual twins help optimize resource use, minimize downtime and enhance product quality. This technology also supports continuous improvement by creating a feedback loop that refines processes throughout the product lifecycle.
Digital twins improve operational efficiency in manufacturing by providing real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance and process optimization. They create virtual replicas of physical assets, allowing manufacturers to detect inefficiencies, reduce downtime and optimize resource allocation. By analyzing real-time data, digital twins help improve production workflows, enhance quality control and minimize waste. This leads to increased productivity, cost savings and more agile manufacturing operations.
Virtual twins integrate with smart factories and Industry 4.0 by creating digital replicas of physical assets, processes and systems that can be monitored and optimized in real-time. These virtual models connect to the Internet of Things (IoT), sensors and other smart devices in the factory, enabling seamless data flow and communication across production lines. This integration allows manufacturers to simulate, predict and optimize operations, improving efficiency, reducing downtime and enabling proactive decision-making. Virtual twins support the automation and data-driven processes at the heart of Industry 4.0, driving innovation and sustainability in smart factories.
Virtual twins can be used for predictive maintenance in manufacturing by continuously monitoring the performance and condition of equipment through real-time data integration. By simulating the asset's behavior, virtual twins can identify potential issues, predict failures and recommend maintenance actions before problems occur. This helps manufacturers reduce downtime, extend equipment life and optimize maintenance schedules, leading to cost savings and improved operational efficiency.
AI enhances virtual twin manufacturing solutions by enabling predictive analytics, optimization and automation. It analyzes real-time data from the physical world, helping simulate and predict performance, detect issues and optimize processes. AI-powered virtual twins can also improve design iterations and process improvements by running multiple scenarios, identifying patterns and recommending data-driven decisions for efficiency, cost reduction and innovation across the entire product lifecycle.
At Dassault Systèmes, we provide virtual twins for a wide range of industries within the manufacturing sector. Our solutions support industries including automotive, aerospace, electronics, industrial equipment, energy and consumer goods. By leveraging the power of our 3DEXPERIENCE platform, we help these industries optimize product design, manufacturing processes and sustainability efforts throughout the entire lifecycle.
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About our company
We’re in the business of innovation. Through our unique solutions, we bring virtual twin experiences to everyone – including you!
Virtual Twin as a Service
VTaaS provides the expertise, equipment, and maintenance for virtual twins, delivering the value you need without the complexity.
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