What is a digital emulation twin and how does it work in the pharmaceutical industry?
Transforming pharmaceutical production with digital twin technology
The pharmaceutical industry is constantly evolving, with new technologies offering innovative solutions to complex challenges. Among these advancements, the concept of a digital emulation twin stands out as a groundbreaking tool that is transforming how pharmaceutical companies approach quality assurance (QA), control, and operational efficiency.
Advancements in digital technologies, such as AI, machine learning, and IoT, are pivotal for creating digital twins that optimise performance across various industries, showcasing the importance of these technologies in real-world applications and decision-making processes. But what exactly is a digital emulation twin, and how does it work?
Understanding digital twin technology
A digital emulation twin is a highly accurate virtual representation of a physical facility or system. It models real-world processes, machinery, and workflows in a digital environment, enabling organisations to simulate, test, and optimise operations long before anything is physically implemented.
Unlike a static digital model, the emulation twin actively interacts with real time data streams, reflecting the real-world system in near real-time. This makes it a dynamic tool for predictive testing, validated workflows, and optimised decision-making. For industries like pharmaceuticals, where precision and compliance are critical, the value of such a tool becomes invaluable.
Why the pharmaceutical industry needs digital emulation twins
Pharmaceutical production is held to the highest standards of safety, quality, and compliance. Achieving this requires rigorous testing and validation at every step of the process. However, traditional methods can be time-consuming, costly, and prone to unforeseen errors. Effective data management is crucial in integrating digital twin technology, ensuring seamless communication between physical and virtual elements.
A digital emulation twin bridges this gap by offering pharmaceutical companies a way to virtually test manufacturing systems, validate quality protocols, and refine processes.
Applications of digital twin technology
Digital twin technology has revolutionised various aspects of the pharmaceutical industry, offering innovative solutions to enhance efficiency, quality, and control. Here are some key applications.
With strict revision handling and validated libraries of hardware components, the digital twin ensures compliance with regulatory standards by predicting critical quality attributes. It provides complete oversight of data and processes, guaranteeing all documentation and changes are strictly managed and traceable.
By allowing teams to test and optimise processes in a digital space before physical implementation, digital twins slash development timelines. This not only accelerates time-to-market but also reduces overall production costs.
Additionally, digital twins can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical trials by simulating patient responses and characteristics, potentially reducing the need for human participants and accelerating drug development.
The dynamic nature of a digital twin offers control over communication and behavior across facilities by monitoring critical process parameters. It consolidates process and automation data, ensuring seamless integration without locking companies into a single supplier system.
AFRY Real Digital Twin: A game-changer for pharma
One powerful example of this concept is the AFRY Real Digital Twin framework. AFRY Real Digital Twin is a comprehensive solution tailored to streamline automation projects while maintaining the highest standards of quality and efficiency. Here’s how AFRYs Real Digital Twin addresses key pharmaceutical challenges.
Redefining testing and validation
AFRY Real Digital Twin excels in delivering a virtual testbed for thorough testing. Pharmaceutical companies can conduct unit tests, virtual Factory Acceptance Tests (vFAT), and Site Acceptance Tests (vSAT) digitally, reducing errors and catching potential issues early. This “fail early” approach saves time and ensures higher quality code and designs. Additionally, digital twins can optimise process designs and reduce the number of process performance qualification (PPQ) runs needed for establishing effective control strategies, ultimately leading to significant cost savings and increased overall efficiency.
Robust data control and compliance
Managing vast amounts of process, automation, and revision data becomes effortless with AFRY Real Digital Twin. With automated revision handling and validated libraries of hardware, teams have complete oversight and control of all system components and communications. This ensures compliance with even the strictest regulatory demands and enhances regulatory compliance in pharmaceutical production.
Optimised flexibility with reduced supplier dependency
AFRY Real Digital Twin is designed to work seamlessly across various automation platforms like Siemens, ABB, and Delta V. This compatibility allows pharmaceutical companies to optimise their manufacturing process and avoid vendor lock-in, ensuring flexibility throughout the lifecycle of their production systems.
Lifecycle benefits beyond implementation
Beyond deployment, the AFRY Real Digital Twin enhances operator training, facilitates and supports ongoing digitalisation efforts. It creates a platform for simulating errors, testing changes, and integrating advanced technologies while minimising risks.
The benefits you can expect
When pharmaceutical companies adopt a digital emulation twin like AFRY Real Digital Twin, the benefits extend across every stage of operation:
Faster time-to-market
The ability to simulate and test processes early reduces commissioning and deployment time by up to 80%, accelerating overall project timelines.
Cost efficiency
Streamlined workflows and reduced redundancy lead to significant cost savings, with some projects cutting development time by up to 30%.
Higher quality standards
Iterative testing and enhanced precision result in superior code quality, better process outcomes, and robust QA protocols.
Streamlined collaboration
Digital twins improve understanding and communication between disciplines, fostering better collaboration across teams.
Future-readiness
With its integration capabilities, a digital emulation twin becomes a foundation for long-term digital transformation, opening doors to smarter, more autonomous production.
Optimised production processes
By leveraging real-time data and simulation, digital twins can significantly enhance production efficiency and improve productivity.
The future of pharmaceutical manufacturing
A digital emulation twin is more than a tool; it’s a gateway to enhanced efficiency, quality, and control in pharmaceutical production. With innovations like AFRY Real Digital Twin, companies are not just meeting industry standards but setting new benchmarks for collaboration, compliance, and operational excellence. Data analytics plays a crucial role in integrating these new technologies to revolutionise bioprocess development and improve operational efficiency.
Whether you’re looking to speed up development, ensure compliance, or achieve full control over your systems, the right digital twin solution equips your teams with the confidence to move forward boldly and effectively. The future of pharmaceutical manufacturing is digital, and the opportunities are endless.
Questions and answers
- What is a digital twin in pharma?
- What is digitalisation in the pharma industry?
- How do digital twins enhance quality assurance in pharma?
- What are the main benefits of using digital twins in pharmaceutical production?
A digital twin in pharma is a virtual model of a physical system, such as a production facility, manufacturing process, or equipment. It interacts with real-time data to replicate actual operations, enabling pharmaceutical companies to optimise processes, ensure compliance, and maintain high standards of quality.
Digitalisation in the pharma industry involves incorporating advanced technologies like digital twins, artificial intelligence, IoT, and data analytics into operations. It transforms traditional processes, boosts efficiency, supports compliance and enhances productivity with smarter, more integrated systems.
Digital twins strengthen quality assurance by predicting critical quality attributes, simulating workflows, and providing complete oversight of processes. These capabilities ensure compliance with strict regulations, help catch errors early and enhance traceability of all changes and documentation.
Digital twins offer a range of benefits, including:
- Faster development and shorter time-to-market.
- Improved process efficiency and reduced costs.
- Enhanced collaboration among teams.
- Greater regulatory compliance and traceability.
- Predictive maintenance and long-term optimisation.
