The Digital Twins Advantages & Disadvantages: Guide to Get the Balance

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BIMScaler Blog – One of the digital twins advantages is how they’re changing things for the better for companies in industries like construction, manufacturing, and real estate.

By using real-time data and simulating operations, companies can make processes more efficient, predict when maintenance is needed, and cut costs.

In Australia, digital twins are becoming a must-have for managing infrastructure, helping cities deal with urbanisation on the rise.

However, while the technology has a lot to offer, there are still some hurdles to overcome when it comes to adoption, mainly around complexity, cost, and standardisation.

Even so, as these issues are solved, digital twins are set to become a crucial part of modern industrial operations.

Competitive Advantages of Digital Twins

Enhanced Operational Efficiency

Digital twins let you keep an eye on your physical assets in real time, so you can take care of them before they break down.

By keeping an eye on things with sensors and other sources, organisations can spot potential issues before they become expensive failures.

The Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) paper, “How Digital Twins Benefit Contractors and Owners,” goes into this in more detail.

The CMAA says that digital twins “can also be used to predict failure modes and risks before they occur, allowing owners to avoid costly downtime and accidents.”

This predictive capability not only helps to avoid disruptions but also makes sure that maintenance schedules are as efficient as possible.

In Australia, where infrastructure projects often span huge distances and challenging environments, digital twins can help cut operational costs and boost efficiency by allowing us to monitor and maintain assets remotely.

Improved Decision-Making

Being able to try out different scenarios in a virtual setting helps businesses make better decisions.

You can use digital twins to test different design options, see how operational changes affect things, and make processes better without affecting the physical asset.

The research paper “Building Digital Twins,” by Granlund shows how digital twins can help you make the most of your assets.

It says that digital twins “help optimize its performance through contextual presentation of data and automated analytics.”

Take Easton Shopping Centre, for instance. They use digital twins to make sure they’re using energy as efficiently as possible.

They analyse how many visitors they get each day and then adjust the HVAC systems to match.

In Australia’s urban areas, this feature helps companies cut energy costs, which lowers their overall expenses and reduces their impact on the environment.

Improved Design and Construction Outcomes

Another digital twins advantages during construction is the ability to simulate different design scenarios.

This advantage helps architects and engineers optimize the project.

The CMAA report says using digital twins helps spot design issues before they become problems in the real world.

The study by April Lia Hananto et al., in Digital Twin and 3D Digital Twin: Concepts, Applications, and Challenges in Industry 4.0 for Digital Twin,” shows how digital twins help with “advanced analytics, detailed simulations, and informed decision-making.”

The ability to rapidly test ideas in a virtual space can speed up the innovation cycle.

Contractors can use it to see how structural changes affect things like energy efficiency, structural integrity, and construction timelines.

This reduces waste and rework, making the building process more efficient.

Safety and Risk Mitigation

Another big plus is how it can help cut down on risk, which is especially useful in construction and industry.

By using sensor data, digital twins help us keep an eye on safety issues on site. This means we can avoid problems caused by things like machinery malfunctions or extreme weather.

For instance, digital twins can spot structural stress points or temperature changes, giving you a heads-up on potential issues.

This is particularly useful in Australia, where harsh weather can be a challenge for infrastructure.

If we can spot potential problems before they become accidents, we can make sure our employees and contractors are working in a safer environment.

Cost Reduction

By making processes more efficient, spotting potential issues and helping us make better decisions, digital twins can save us a lot of money.

If you can spot and fix potential issues early on, you can avoid costly downtime and rework.

On top of that, digital twins can help make the best use of resources, cut out waste, and make overall operations more efficient.

The CMAA report shows how digital twins can save money. They can help you avoid costly downtime and accidents, and prevent failures that could cause delays.

In today’s competitive business landscape, the cost-saving benefits of digital twins can be a real game-changer for Australian companies looking to grow sustainably and profitably.

Learn more: How do Digital Twins Enhance Predictive Maintenance: Beginner Approach.”

Disadvantages of Digital Twins Compared With Other Technologies

High Implementation Costs

The upfront costs and ongoing maintenance of a digital twin can be pretty pricey.

This includes the cost of sensors, data collection and storage infrastructure, software development, and skilled personnel to manage the system.

BIM, which is mainly used during the design and construction phases, may have lower upfront costs because it focuses on creating a 3D model of the building without the extensive real-time data integration of a digital twin.

The Granlund research recognises this issue, noting that digital twins are “difficult and expensive to create and difficult and expensive to maintain once they are up and running.”

Maintenance Challenges

Another drawback is keeping digital twins up to date over time, especially when you compare them to static models like BIM.

Digital twins need to be updated all the time with data from IoT devices and other real-time inputs.

This data needs to be checked and adjusted regularly to keep it accurate. If the data feed fails or isn’t managed properly, the digital twin may become out of date, which would make it ineffective.

As the CMAA report says, keeping digital twins up to date is a lot of work. It can end up costing businesses about 20% more to operate.

For Australian businesses looking for ways to cut costs, these extra costs might outweigh the benefits they see in digital twins.

Data Silos and Integration Issues

While digital twins have the potential to unify data, they often make data silos and integration issues worse.

This is because lots of organisations use different platforms for design, construction, and operations. This makes it tricky to bring all the information together into one digital twin model.

According to Granlund’s research, digital twins often have trouble with fragmented data because the standards across systems are inconsistent.

All this fragmentation makes it harder to manage the data.

This can cause delays and inefficiencies, especially when different stakeholders need to access or update the model.

Complexity and Skill Requirements

The study by Hananto et al. shows that we need “skilled personnel to manage the system” and highlights the complexity of implementing digital twins.

So, if you’re looking to develop and manage a digital twin, you’ll need to have some pretty specialised skills and expertise.

Some organisations might need to invest in training or hire new talent to make the most of the technology.

BIM is still a bit technical, but it might be easier for more people in construction to get to grips with it because it has established workflows and tools.

Dependence on Real-Time Data Accuracy

Digital twins rely a lot on real-time data being spot on, which is a big drawback compared to technologies like BIM that work well with static data.

If there are any mistakes in the data, it can affect how accurate the twin is, which could lead to poor decisions.

The Grunland report shows how even a small mistake in the sensor data could mean your digital twin doesn’t accurately represent the physical asset.

This reliance on flawless data integration is a risk factor, particularly in environments where monitoring systems may not be fully reliable, such as remote Australian construction sites.

Learn more: How to Implement AI Digital Twins in Australia: 101 Practical Guidelines.”

How to Balance the Digital Twins Advantages and Its Disadvantages

Let’s be honest – jumping straight into that digital ocean can feel like swimming with concrete boots.

The advantages? They’re massive. But it’s not all smooth sailing—there’s the disadvantages too.

So, how can you get the benefit from all this fancy tech without going crazy and spending more than you should?

You don’t go all in. Instead, you strike a balance. You take a hybrid approach.

Use digital twins where they’re most useful – things like real-time monitoring or predictive maintenance – and leave the less complex stuff to BIM (Building Information Modelling).

It’s like this: you don’t need to install a spaceship dashboard in a Corolla when a solid GPS will do the job.

The same goes for digital twins and BIM. Know when to use the most sophisticated tools and when to keep it simple.

That’s why we at BIM Scaler have come up with a practical solution to achieve this balance.

Our 4D and 5D planning services are a great example. We use BIM to show you what your projects will look like, which helps you save time and money.

You don’t need to set up a full digital twin until you’re ready. 

And our model audits? Think of them as your trusty compass, making sure your digital models are in great shape, free from corruption, and accurate.

But here’s the thing: as your project grows, we’re ready to roll out those cool digital twin features when – and only when – they make the most sense for you.

Predictive maintenance, real-time performance monitoring?

We’ve got you covered, but we’ll introduce them gradually, where they’ll give you the biggest return on your investment.

Ready to see how this all plays out in the real world? Kindly check what we do on our BIM Management Support page.

Or, better yet, let’s grab lunch.

We’ll talk shop, no sales, no pushy pitching, and figure out how to make those digital dreams a reality, one step at a time.

In Closing

Yes, the digital twins are the future in the present, no doubt about it.

However, it is important to recognise there will always be constraints in each project. That’s why BIM Scaler becomes your supporting system.

With BIM Scaler, you gain the digital twins advantages while retaining control of any disadvantages.

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