Digitalization of Manufacturing Processes with Startup Collaboration: Arçelik Developing a Digital Twin with Simularge

(a) Situation faced: Arçelik is a major manufacturer of durable consumer goods. As one of the primary products of Arçelik, refrigerators constitute 35% of its annual production. Thermoforming is a critical process of manufacturing a refrigerator’s inner body, which consumes more than 20,000 tons of plastics every year. The company has decided to develop its production quality further, reduce plastic consumption, and improve its environmental footprint by integrating a digital twin into its production planning and management. (b) Actions taken: Arçelik has partnered with Simularge from Istanbul, a startup specializing in digital twins. The project team has developed a digital model of the thermoforming process by combining high-end engineering formulations, simulation modeling, and real-time sensor data. They have integrated and fine-tuned the digital twin in one plant. Currently, the company plans worldwide deployment. (c) Results achieved: Arçelik’s partnership with Simularge has successfully generated a digital twin of the thermoforming process. Implementing the digital twin with real-time operational data has improved the product quality, has decreased scrap ratios, and has reduced plastic consumption. It has resulted in an initial cost-saving of more than $2 million annually. Gaining know-how about the manufacturing processes’ digitalization has promoted a shared vision. It has also provided a strong example to encourage the digitalization of other manufacturing processes. (d) Lessons learned: The digital twin has enabled resource efficiency and improved manufacturing execution. Additionally, integrating the Internet of Things data into the digital twin has enabled better feature engineering results and improved algorithms with extracted features from data mining. Furthermore, the Internet of Things and programmable logic controller infrastructures and engineering capabilities at Arçelik has been crucial for the digital twin’s success. Arçelik’s Atölye 4.0 Lab and its relationship with Istanbul Technical University’s ITU Çekirdek Incubator also have a significant role in cultivating a collaborative project. Lastly, effectiveness in project management appears as a significant driver of success for a digital twin project.