Digital Twins in Order Picking Systems for Operational Decision Support

Abstract

Digital twins are arousing great interest in both science and industry. There are a large number of papers that demonstrate and evaluate the potential of Digital Twins in different application areas. However, it must be noted that there is still no uniform definition of Digital Twins. This paper first examines the concept of Digital Twins and highlight how they differ in level, compared with other digital models. The focus of this paper lies in the conceptual development of a digital twin in order picking systems. The described approach in the paper aims at supporting the operational control in order picking systems. Both the architectural structure and the functions, e.g. the simulation, are described in detail. Overall, this thesis shows the benefits of Digital Twins. However, some functional extensions are still needed before the full potential can be achieved.