Case Study: TGW

Executive summary

Xcelgo’s digital twin modeling software platform Experior is an integrated part of logistics supplier TGW’s engineering process. Among other things this ensures them a faster commissioning phase, more process control and better-quality solutions.

Challenges

TGW Logistics Group is a leading systems provider of highly dynamic, automated and turnkey logistics solutions worldwide with more than 3,000 employees across the globe. Since 1969 the company has been implementing a diverse range of internal logistics solutions, from small material handling applications to complex logistics centers.

Modern logistic systems, as the ones TGW engineers, are complex and contain miles of conveyors, different storage systems and a list of complex PLCs and IT systems that needs to be integrated. Hence to be able to make the commissioning possible it is vital for TGW to test their software before they go onsite.

Solution

Although TGW had worked with Digital Twin modeling for virtual commissioning for a long period, it was not before they were introduced to Xcelgo’s software platform Experior in 2013 that TGW found the tool that really made the difference.

Since then TGW has used Experior as their main tool for virtual commissioning and as a cornerstone in the engineering process.

The commissioning team and the IT developers have restructured the entire component catalog in Experior to fit TGW hardware and procedures. TGW’s own technical staff can then easily build an exact Digital Twin of an entire system out of these virtual components in Experior – with no modeling experts needed.

TGW has already used Experior for more than 150 projects.

Results

When TGW uses Digital Twins modeled in Experior in the commissioning phase, they reduce the commissioning time and costs by testing the control software on the digital twin long before they go onsite. They can also test high performance and high-pressure situations.

When they go onsite they minimize the risk of delay due to software errors and thus have more control over the process. The extensive software testing also leads to better control software quality.

When the system is up and running, the customer can in collaboration with TGW use the Digital Twin to continuously optimize the system, test new ideas and final software releases and train employees. They can even use the Digital Twin for retrofitting, if they want to improve the old PLCs and IT systems or add new parts to the system.

TGW also reuses the Digital Twins for early tests of new developments without prototypes. They can thus simultaneously develop and test new software (PLC/IT).

Customer