Digital twins in manufacturing: an assessment of drivers, enablers and barriers to implementation

As we live through the fourth industrial revolution, cutting-edge technologies look to change the way manufacturing systems operate. In this context, an important technological framework gaining popularity is the digital twin, which enables a virtual mirror of a real subject, used in manufacturing to assess performance and predict behavior. In this study, we interview experts and review the literature to gain an overview of what exactly drives companies to look for digital twin solutions in the manufacturing environment, what factors enable these initiatives to be successful, and what are the barriers that compromise or slow down implementation efforts.