A Case for Digital Commissioning in Industrial Automation

This report will investigate how Virtual Commissioning adds value to the management and financing of high-complexity engineering projects.

Stakeholders

John Smith operates a packaged goods manufacturing firm
Direct competition with international companies is pressuring John Smith to lower costs, which will require an increase efficiency and an increase in scale
To do this, John Smith needs to invest in a new automated assembly line

These engineering projects are high-complexity and high-risk
They require specialists to coordinate throughout the entire process (Concepting → Site Acceptance Test (SAT))
Liability is distributed in the contract with penalties, such as liquidated damages, on project delays

Simple equipment is typically funded through internal cash or debt arrangements tied to the asset itself
Highly specialized equipment has a low resale value because of its niche application
Low resale value makes it higher risk for the financing firm
Since high complexity projects are difficult to estimate, they inherently have higher risk

The list below identifies the typical industrial automation project:

The primary sources of friction in this process are:

Virtual commissioning addresses these sources of friction by:

Producing more accurate estimates
Clarifying project requirements
Enabling the customer to view and simulate the design at each design review
Being able to see where everything goes, piece by piece, when rebuilding the machine at the customers site, for SAT

The NVIDIA Industrial (Physical) AI ecosystem can address these sources of friction by:

Using OpenUSD to track metadata of each mechanical or electrical component
- Status, revision, design file location, stakeholders, ownership
Produce cross-platform Omniverse simulations for controls and industrial robots, to demonstrate cycle times
Customers can access the full 3D model of the automated assembly line
Workers can access of the full 3D model of the automated assembly line when building and re-building the machine, with all information for each component

The high-level value for stakeholders:

Improved reporting to all stakeholders
- Clearer project management KPIs
- Organization of information when discussing project requirements
Improved understanding across departments
- All project information is tracked as revisions are made
- Simulation provides clear technical requirements
- Anyone can view the project in its entirety before it is built
Lower risk to all stakeholders
- Improved project tracking results in less ambiguity and direct ownership to individuals and departments
- Ability to compare quote to reality at all stages in the design process