Real and virtual commissioning: Hymmen leverages digital twins to improve project management efficiency.

2025-10-23 -

Bielefeld, 1/22/25 – The ideal scenario is one in which a production plant functions perfectly even before commissioning. However, a more detailed analysis of plant projects often reveals a different reality: unexpected challenges often arise during on-site commissioning that must be resolved with considerable deadlines. Hymmen demonstrates how digital twins can offer a solution. By simulating the production process in advance on a 1:1 scale and taking into account all relevant variables, this technology allows timely intervention at critical points.

As the production plant project enters its final phase, machinery is delivered to the customers facility and assembled both mechanically and electrically. Meanwhile, the team at Hymmens headquarters in Bielefeld is already one step ahead. To ensure smooth on-site commissioning, Hymmen automation experts initiate virtual commissioning in advance (see Fig. 1). By creating a digital twin of the material, product, process or physical system, it is possible to evaluate, from the early phases of the development cycle, whether the planned plant meets all specifications, whether components and drives are correctly configured and whether control systems are functioning as intended. All production processes can be virtually visualized using animated simulations. This allows for an aerial perspective of the entire plant and detailed close-ups of each machine component. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the digital twin can be projected onto a wide range of display surfaces, including standard monitors and displays. Augmented reality (AR) glasses further enhance the user experience by offering immersive and realistic vision. The images show how a roller coating machine appears to be located in a meeting room, where the AR user can see under the cover to inspect internal details.Hymmen is already taking advantage of a wide range of advantages with the use of digital twins:• Early identification of logical errors in programming• Digital detection of mechanical interference contours• Scalable learning effects through systematic documentation• Significant reduction in time displacement and start-up All of this contributes significantly to the optimization of plant projects, ensuring timely final acceptance and high levels of customer satisfaction. In addition, the digital twin facilitates process optimization: for example, plant production time can be calculated in advance, allowing specific improvements to be made before delivery. By adopting digital twin technology, Hymmen is clearly aligned with current industry trends. As numerous conversations with customers at Ligna 225 confirmed (see Fig. 3), manufacturing companies are very interested in digitally optimizing their plant projects. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions! Dr. Anke PankokeHead of Marketing / Public RelationsHymmen GmbH Maschinen- und AnlagenbauTheodor-Hymmen-Straße 333613 Bielefeld Telephone: +49 521 586 184 Fax: +49 521 586 3184 Email: A.Pankoke@hymmen.com