Digital Technology in the Product and Service Lifecycle

Digital technologies such as Digital Twins, Industry 4.0, Blockchain, and Artificial Intelligence among others are changing the way industrial firms operate and communicate. The Digital Twin is one of the most promising technologies that will change the way we operate and live. We know that real-time data is crucial for proactive and effective feedback into better delivery of products and services that enhance users' experience. To date, we don't know to what extent the Digital Twin could improve on the design, making and sustainment of products and services. In response to this need, the objective of this doctoral project is to understand the effects and implications of Digital Technologies, particularly the Digital Twins, on the industrial firms' product development capabilities with close involvement with the end user.

This research is an exploratory research, based on case studies in large industrial firms such as Rolls Royce. The case study approach is directed to the Digital Twin as a unit of analysis. Interviews, shadowing process, workshops and data analytics will be applied.
Rolls-Royce provides a data collection setting to understand the research phenomenon and validate the findings.

- An overall understanding of the effects and implications of Digital Twins on industrial firms, their customers and other stakeholders.
- A Map of digital technologies enabling the Digital Twin.
- An outline process, method and set of guidelines to enable the creation and management of Digital Twins.
- A demonstrator. modelling plan of the steps necessary to transition a firm's capability to Digital Twin enabled.
- An industrial case study demonstrating the outline plan and process.