In fusing automation and AI with real-time operations through its latest Tower model – an innovation that leverages digital twin technology – energy solutions company Schneider Electric is helping logistics and transport companies mitigate the challenges inherent to South African ports, rail systems and roads.

The digital twin technology produces virtual replicas of logistics networks, assets and infrastructure, enabling operators to carry out advanced scenario planning and risk simulations, says Schneider Electric industrial cluster lead Johan Potgieter.

“These digital twins are powered by a continuous flow of operational, logistical and external data consolidated into a single, trusted view of the logistics ecosystem . . . They can test ‘what if’ situations, such as port congestion, rail delays, border disruptions, energy instability or equipment failure, before these events occur. This makes it possible to evaluate the impact of decisions digitally before execution.”

He adds that the technology can provide system-level intelligence through asset and fleet monitoring; bottleneck and capacity analyses across various transport routes; cost, service and sustainability insights; end-to-end visibility of shipments, inventory and logistical flows; risk and disruption forecasting; and predictive maintenance.

“In heavy-duty transport operations, digital twins can simulate traffic flows, weather conditions and vehicle performance. This facilitates proactive decision-making, such as rerouting fleets, adjusting delivery schedules or triggering predictive maintenance interventions,” he explains.

The control towers, equipped with their digital twin technologies, can amalgamate large datasets from across the logistics ecosystem into one operational view, transforming raw data into “decision-ready intelligence”.

Essentially, the Tower Control technology helps to ensure that road freight logistics companies can improve inventory efficiency and working capital, lower disruption, expedite costs, and attain more predictable delivery performance, thereby increasing customers’ trust.

Rail operators using the Tower technology will benefit from higher rail availability and use, improved return on infrastructure investment, enhanced competitiveness against road transport and reduced unplanned downtime.

Seafarers can also benefit, as the technology can improve throughput and turnaround times, increase attractiveness to global shipping lines, reduce congestion and demurrage costs, as well as ensure better alignment with sustainability goals, adds Potgieter.

“Control towers integrate logistics, rail and port data into a single decision layer, enabling organisations to manage trade-offs across cost, service, risk and sustainability.”

Potgieter expects local organisations to increasingly integrate digital twins at scale to realise the implementation of autonomous infrastructure optimisation and will become more sustainable through the adoption of energy-aware transport systems.