“We are carrying out research into how to anticipate errors in automated warehouses using virtual commissioning"
Testing a warehouse before it is built: the potential of digital twins in logistics
When an automated warehouse starts operating, everything should be ready. The equipment should be installed, the processes defined and the systems connected. However, the reality is often more complex.
It is during the implementation phase in particular when problems that had not been detected previously may come to light: a communication failure between systems, a process that does not run as planned, or an integration that, on paper, appeared to be correct. Resolving these issues once the installation has already been built takes time and resources and, in many cases, leads to delays that are difficult to accept.
That is why more and more companies are asking themselves the same question: What if it were possible to test the warehouse before it even existed?
From the plan to virtual reality
- Digital twins, and simulation environments in particular, provide a solution to this challenge.
- Far from being merely a visual representation of an installation, a simulation environment replicates the behaviour of a real system and observes how it will react to different situations. In a way, it is a space where making mistakes comes at no cost.
- Thanks to this technology, companies can validate processes, test configurations and analyse potential issues before implementing them in the physical environment.
- What used to be checked during commissioning can now be assessed much earlier.
Detecting problems before they arise
To this end, TECNALIA has developed a methodology known as virtual commissioning to validate information systems in automated logistics environments.
The use case developed is based on simulating a configurable warehouse connected to a Warehouse Management System (WMS). The interaction between the two checks that communication, processes and operational performance are as expected before the actual roll-out begins.
- The difference may seem small, but its impact is considerable.
- Detecting an issue in a virtual environment is always easier and cheaper than discovering it once the equipment has already been installed and operations are about to begin.
Less uncertainty, more confidence
Automation will continue to grow in the coming years, but so too will the complexity of the systems that make it possible.
- Tools such as digital twins are no longer an emerging technology but are now becoming a practical ally.
- Not only do they make it possible to visualise a system, but also to understand it, test it and make decisions with greater confidence.
Because, at the end of the day, the true value does not lie in creating a virtual copy of a warehouse. It lies in being able to anticipate problems, reduce risks and get to the first day of operations with far fewer uncertainties.
Research presented at CIO
The findings of this work were presented by TECNALIA researcher Víctor Nalda Albiac at CIO, the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Industrial Management, under the section on Operations Research, Modelling and Simulation. The presentation was part of the European AI-MATTERS project (Grant Agreement No. 101100707), funded by the European Union.
The research was entitled “Virtual Commissioning of Automated Warehouses via Modbus TCP: Configurable WMS–Digital Twin Integration" and proposes a methodology for validating industrial information systems using virtual commissioning techniques.
- The aim is to identify potential integration problems before the systems are physically put into operation, thereby reducing the risks and costs associated with incidents in later stages of projects.
- To this end, the work is based on a use case involving simulating a configurable automated warehouse connected to a Warehouse Management System (WMS). Thanks to this virtual environment, it is possible to test the performance of and interaction between the two systems before they are actually put into operation.
- The results underscore the value of digital twins as a tool for designing, validating and optimising increasingly automated, connected logistics infrastructures.
Research to support industrial transformation
This work demonstrates how digital twins help to reduce risks and improve the reliability of logistics systems prior to implementing them.