Automation has come a long way in the past decade; AMRs, AGVs, robot arms, and other automation solutions look like something you might see in a sci-fi movie, and are more sophisticated than ever in their capabilities. The benefits they purport to bring to supply chain industries are also enticing: labor savings, increased efficiency, and rapid return on what can often be a hefty initial investment. If your warehouse or manufacturing plant is still fully manual, you've probably been at least tempted by the prospect of purchasing a fleet of the sleek-looking robots you see at nearly every supply chain conference. And if you ever express any doubts about how a fleet of AMRs or AGVs might fit into your material handling workflows, you'll almost certainly be met with a placating response from a plucky sales rep foaming at the mouth at the thought of his next commission check.
The truth? A custom-tailored automation solution requires consideration for your facility's unique process flow, and must be tested, fine-tuned, and calibrated against all the specific constraints, flows, and variability of your operation.
The uglier truth? AMR providers often lack the proper capability to sufficiently model, test, and analyze the automation systems they're pitching to you. Fleet size estimates are often based on generic models or ideal scenarios--and even then are usually puffed up to get you to buy more robots. Signing automation contracts with blind faith can result in underperforming fleets, unnecessary costs, and more of the very headaches the robots were supposed to fix in the first place.
Your operation is unique; your automation should be, too.
No two facilities move the same way. One warehouse might run single-SKU bulk orders with minimal picking complexity, while another might juggle thousands of SKUs, dynamic order profiles, and constant replenishment across zones. Manufacturing lines deal with everything from just-in-time part delivery to staged sequencing and kitting. What works in one plant might create chaos in another--that's why off-the-shelf fleet estimates wont' cut it.
Digital Twin Studio lets you emulate your operational data--real SKU lists, routing tables, order data, and demand forecasts--and use them to simulate scenarios to compare outcomes across the KPIs that matter most to you. Digital Twin Studio keeps track of quantities, replenishments, pick orders, and pick priority--including crushable items, liquids, specialty items, and every other detail of your inventory. Simulating automation migrations means you're seeing the full picture of how automation will impact daily workflows, not how it might fit in to an idealized version of what your warehouse or plant should look like.
Want to see what happens if your AMRs have to dodge forklifts during a shift change? Curious if charging cycles will create congestion near docks at peak times? Test it, and fix it, before spending a dime.
Don't ask vendors how many robots you'll need--tell them. Walk into meetings with clear expectations, optimized fleet requirements, and the confidence of knowing that what you're asking for will actually work on your floor. And if they try to oversell you, you'll have the data to push back.
Digital Twin Studio® is your ultimate automation testing environment.
Because a digital twin uses real data to model your warehouse or manufacturing plant, it's the ultimate testing environment for automation solutions. Test automation proposals from different vendors and see for yourself how many robots you need, and how exactly they'll fit in with your inventory, your labor, your processes, and your layout. Then, fine-tune the implementation and tell your provider exactly what you need with data-backed confidence.
With a Digital Twin, you're not assuming what will work based on fixed pick times, linear throughput, or average travel distances. You're accounting for every constraint and every scenario: congestion near workstations, real travel paths, battery cycles, charge station locations, shift overlap, labor coordination, and more.
Digital Twin Studio® becomes a dynamic monitoring and alert system after automation rollout.
Your Digital Twin doesn't stop working once your robots hit the floor. Once you determine optimal fleet size and fine-tune the logic, Digital Twin Studio continuously synchronizes your WMS, ERP, MES, and other data systems with real-time input from your automation. If a delay occurs at a workstation, or a robot gets tied up in a congested aisle, Digital Twin Studio sends a notification to operators on the floor and in the office, and automatically starts adjusting on the fly to get back on track.
What began as a way to validate your automation plans becomes the backbone of a more resilient, more responsive operation; one that adapts in real-time and helps your team stay ahead of disruption.
The stakes are too high to rely on guesswork, sales decks, or best-case scenarios. Whether you're rolling out your first AMR fleet or expanding to a more mature automation strategy, Digital Twin Studio gives you the power to test, prove, and perfect your plans before you sign any contracts.
✅ Know exactly what you need
✅ Eliminate costly missteps
✅ Make automation work for your operation
Ready to take the guesswork out of your automation investment?
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