Digital Twin for Flexible Manufacturing: Real-Time Intelligence for High-Mix Production Lines
Manufacturers today face a new kind of complexity. Customers expect more variants, faster delivery, and higher quality — all while production teams deal with fluctuating schedules, shared resources, and constant reconfiguration. Traditional linear manufacturing models can’t keep up. The next generation of intelligent factories depends on digital twins that mirror the physical world in real time — providing the visibility, adaptability, and control needed to run truly flexible, high-mix production lines.
SmartSpace® from Ubisense makes this possible by combining real-time location data with digital process models to create a living, spatially aware representation of your operations. The result is a connected, data-driven environment where people, tools, and assets all work together seamlessly, even as production demands change.
The Shift Toward High-Mix, Flexible Production
A high-mix assembly line is one that produces a wide range of product variants — often in small or changing batch sizes — on the same equipment. It’s increasingly common in automotive, aerospace, defence, and complex industrial manufacturing, where teams might switch between vehicle models, aircraft components, or customised assemblies several times per day.
This flexibility enables responsiveness to market demand, but it also introduces complexity at every level. Teams must continually adjust work instructions, reallocate equipment, and ensure that parts and tools are in the right place at the right time. Manual coordination can’t keep up with this pace of change. When process steps depend on human checks or static schedules, errors multiply — parts are misplaced, tools go missing, and rework becomes routine. The cost of even minor inefficiencies compounds quickly.
As manufacturers move toward mass customisation and shorter product cycles, real-time visibility becomes essential. Digital twins provide the foundation for that visibility — but only if they’re built on accurate, continuously updated data.
From Concept to Reality: The Evolution of the Digital Twin
The concept of a “digital twin” first appeared in aerospace engineering in the early 2000s, describing a digital counterpart to a physical asset. Initially used for simulation and lifecycle management, the idea has since evolved far beyond design and maintenance. Today, advances in real-time data capture, networking, and spatial computing have made it possible to maintain live digital twins of entire production systems — from single lines to enterprise-scale operations.
This transformation mirrors the shift from Industry 3.0 automation to Industry 4.0 intelligence. Where traditional automation executes pre-programmed logic, the digital twin enables awareness and adaptation: systems that sense, interpret, and respond to the changing physical world in real time.
What Is a Digital Twin in Manufacturing?
A digital twin is a dynamic, digital replica of a physical system. It continuously mirrors the real world by ingesting live data from sensors, tracking systems, and software platforms. In manufacturing, a digital twin can represent an entire plant, a production line, or even individual machines and tools.
Unlike static 3D models or simulation tools, a true digital twin evolves alongside the environment it represents. It shows not just how things are designed to operate, but how they actually operate in real time. When enriched with real-time location data, it can answer questions that traditional systems can’t:
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Which workstation is currently occupied?
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Has the correct operator entered the safety zone?
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Are the right components staged for the next build?
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Has a process step been completed in the required sequence?
The value lies in connecting spatial context to digital intelligence — turning data into insight, and insight into immediate action.
Why Real-Time Location Data Is the Missing Link
Many digital-twin initiatives fail because they rely solely on transactional data from MES or ERP systems. Those platforms record what should happen — the planned process steps, bill of materials, and timestamps — but they don’t capture the unplanned reality of the shop floor. Without continuous feedback, the twin quickly drifts out of sync with real operations. Schedules look perfect on paper while bottlenecks build unnoticed in production.
This is where SmartSpace® adds unique value. It provides continuous, spatially accurate visibility of every asset, person, and process. By integrating data from RTLS sensors, tags, and zones, it ensures that the digital twin reflects the true state of operations at any given moment. For example:
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Detects when a component or sub-assembly moves to the wrong station.
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Confirms when an operator begins a process in the correct area.
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Tracks whether a calibrated tool is being used for the assigned task.
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Records dwell times to identify flow imbalances or inefficiencies.
This connection between physical movement and digital intent allows the twin to verify reality — not just document it.
Building a Digital Twin for a High-Mix Production Line
A real-time digital twin relies on an integrated architecture that connects multiple data layers:
1. Sensing Layer – Sensors, RTLS anchors, and tags capture live movement and position data for assets, tools, and people.
2. SmartSpace Platform Layer – SmartSpace maps these data streams onto a digital model of the facility, representing every zone, workstation, and logical rule.
3. Business Logic Layer – The system applies rules and relationships. For instance, a torque operation can’t be completed until the correct tool enters the defined zone, or a part can’t progress if its prerequisite steps aren’t verified.
4. Analytics Layer – Smart dashboards display WIP levels, cycle times, and performance KPIs in real time. Supervisors can immediately see when flow deviates from plan.
5. Integration Layer – The twin connects with MES, ERP, PLM, and quality systems. This allows process data, traceability records, and status updates to flow automatically between the physical and digital worlds.
Each layer depends on data integrity and latency. High-quality RTLS data ensures the twin stays accurate to within seconds. When integrated properly, this creates a digital environment that reflects physical reality almost instantaneously.
Turning Data into Action
Collecting data is easy; making it actionable is what defines a successful digital twin. SmartSpace provides rule-based automation that translates live data into operational control.
If a sub-assembly hasn’t entered its inspection zone within the allotted time, an alert can be triggered automatically. If a technician attempts to perform a task with an unverified tool, the system can prevent completion or flag the error.
By embedding intelligence directly into spatial events, SmartSpace turns awareness into control — a crucial step toward truly adaptive manufacturing.
Human Factors and Collaboration
Digital twins aren’t just for engineers and planners; they transform how everyone on the shop floor interacts with information. Instead of relying on static work instructions or manual updates, teams can view live dashboards that reflect the actual state of production.
Supervisors can see at a glance which stations are running behind schedule. Maintenance teams receive alerts when tools or equipment stray from authorised areas. Operators can scan local displays to understand what’s next in sequence. This shared visibility promotes collaboration, accountability, and safer working conditions.
In high-mix environments, where no two days look the same, this collective situational awareness is what keeps complexity under control.
Key Benefits of a Real-Time Digital Twin
Faster Changeovers
SmartSpace detects configuration states automatically, enabling faster transitions between product variants. It reduces downtime caused by manual reconfiguration and ensures the correct fixtures and tools are always in place.
Improved Quality and Traceability
Each product is digitally linked to its full process history: where it was built, which tools were used, and who performed each operation. This traceability simplifies compliance and eliminates time-consuming paper records.
Reduced Downtime and Rework
By identifying bottlenecks and deviations as they happen, SmartSpace helps prevent small issues from cascading into full line stoppages. Teams can focus maintenance and supervision where it matters most.
Optimised Layout Planning
Engineers can simulate new line layouts or workstation sequences inside the twin before making physical changes. This lowers risk and enables data-driven continuous improvement.
Enhanced Decision Support
Combining live and historical data provides insight into utilisation, lead time, and performance trends — supporting smarter planning, scheduling, and resource allocation.
Sustainability and Efficiency Gains
By eliminating wasted movement and reducing idle time, real-time visibility supports leaner, more energy-efficient operations. Over time, this contributes to measurable reductions in resource consumption and carbon footprint.
Real-World Use Cases
Automotive
As vehicle platforms diversify into electric, hybrid, and internal combustion models, assembly lines must handle dozens of build sequences simultaneously. The SmartSpace WIP Tracker ensures each unit follows the correct process path, tools are available where needed, and deviations are flagged instantly. The result is smoother flow, faster changeovers, and lower rework rates.
Aerospace
In aircraft manufacturing and maintenance, sub-assemblies often share workspace, tooling, and personnel. SmartSpace provides real-time awareness of bay utilisation, tool readiness, and operator activity, ensuring safety compliance and on-time task completion. It also simplifies certification by maintaining complete traceability records for each component.
Defence
Secure environments require verified process compliance. SmartSpace enables granular traceability of every step, from equipment maintenance to classified asset handling. Real-time data supports both operational readiness and audit transparency without relying on manual documentation.
Industrial and Contract Manufacturing
For high-mix, low-volume producers, flexibility is everything. The digital twin enables rapid reconfiguration of stations and resource planning. Live dashboards give managers a clear view of where each job stands and what’s needed to keep throughput balanced.
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences
Although less obvious, maintenance and calibration in regulated pharma environments benefit significantly from location-driven digital twins. By tracking personnel, tools, and equipment status, manufacturers can verify that every step complies with GMP procedures — protecting both product integrity and regulatory confidence.
Extending the Value: Data, Analytics, and Collaboration
Once a digital twin is established, it becomes a foundation for broader digital transformation. Live data streams can feed analytics tools for predictive maintenance, utilisation studies, or continuous improvement initiatives. Operators and engineers can collaborate around a single shared view of the production environment — one that’s always up to date.
In multi-site organisations, a fleet of digital twins can share best-practice data and performance benchmarks. SmartSpace’s modular architecture supports this scalability, allowing local plants to adapt while maintaining consistent standards globally.
The Path Toward Predictive and Autonomous Operations
As artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in industrial systems, digital twins are evolving from descriptive to predictive models. By analysing historical location and process data, AI can forecast potential delays, equipment conflicts, or safety issues before they occur.
In the near future, this integration will enable self-optimising factories — environments that automatically adjust workflows, reassign resources, and maintain throughput with minimal human input. Instead of reacting to problems, teams will focus on strategic optimisation and innovation. Digital twins will also play a vital role in sustainability reporting, using location and process data to measure resource efficiency and track carbon output across facilities.
Why Ubisense’s SmartSpace Is Central to the Real-Time Digital Twin
SmartSpace acts as the spatial intelligence layer that connects physical activity with digital process logic. It integrates data across assets, tools, people, and workflows — giving manufacturers a unified, real-time view of production. Its open APIs and scalable design make it compatible with a wide range of sensors and enterprise systems, whether the deployment is a single pilot line or a global network of facilities.
By providing visibility, verification, and control in one platform, SmartSpace enables manufacturers to transform flexibility into a competitive advantage. In a world where production variability is the new normal, real-time spatial intelligence is what keeps complexity manageable.
