HEXAGON
THE DIGITAL TWINS RESHAPING GLOBAL MANUFACTURING powered by Inside Sustainability
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HEXAGON
I PROFILE
Hexagon is a worldwide leader in the study, application and implementation of digital twin solutions that enable autonomy across various industries. Working with the world’s largest manufacturers and brands, its technology helps companies drive efficiency, optimisation and ultimately, sustainability – both for business and the climate. Marion Rouzeaud, Global Sustainability Director at Hexagon, spoke with Richard Hagan about how autonomy involves so much more than just self-driving cars.
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B
ased in Sweden, Hexagon is listed on the Swedish NASDAQ and enjoys a market value of €5.3 million: and
while that number is impressive, the technology deployed worldwide by Hexagon’s experts is all the more so. Hexagon specialises in helping some of the world’s biggest and most recognisable manufacturers, brands, and even cities, become more efficient and deploy resources optimally. This process ensures a more sustainable future – not only for the company or city itself, but also for the world at large.
A vision for the future For the last 20 years, Hexagon’s former CEO, Ola Rollén, drove the company based on his vision for a future that involved measuring and capturing reality into a digital simulation. This digital simulation, which Hexagon calls the ‘smart digital reality’, entails replicating a physical environment and/or processes in the digital world. The digital model thus developed can then be used to quickly simulate changes to the physical process, while accurately modelling or predicting the outcomes of said changes without the risks, costs and time involved with carrying out any physical changes to the real-world process. This technology, which is often referred to as a ‘digital twin’, is a game changer for Hexagon’s customers, according to Global Sustainability Director Marion Rouzeaud: “There are costs, time and risks in the real world that don’t exist in software. Our technology allows us to capture reality and play with processes
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HEXAGON
I PROFILE
and do experiments without the cost, risk
mapping and even emergency call man-
or other constraints of actually changing
agement software, to name only a few.
things in the real world.”
Hexagon’s biggest and busiest department is its Manufacturing Intelligence
An intelligent choice
division, making up just under half the
Hexagon’s smart digital reality technology
company’s revenue. “We’re concerned with
is extremely flexible and can be applied at
what happens inside manufacturing facili-
various scales, ranging from a production
ties; the whole manufacturing process from
line in a factory, all the way up to mapping
designing a widget through to the finished
a city or even the planet. Consequently,
product,” Ms Rouzeaud said. “We will assist
its sensors and technology have been
with decisions about how to manufacture
incorporated into a wide variety of appli-
the product, how to program the machines
cations, including fly-by-wire systems
and then right through to measuring, scan-
on aircraft, drones, satellite navigation
ning and inspecting the product to ensure
systems, autonomous cars, geospatial
that what you designed is what you actually intended to make. “Our technology in this regard is widely used by high-performance, asset-intensive industries such as car makers, the aerospace industry, medical devices – (especially prosthetics) and renewable energy infrastructure, particularly wind turbines. We are manufacturing experts, helping people to produce everything, especially any industry manufacturing expensive products and components that require very high-quality standards.”
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Hexagon’s process technology extends far out of the factory and into the customer’s hands as well. For example, the company’s unique portfolio is used to simulate the thermal design or durability of mobile phones, and the sensors are able to measure imperceptible blemishes to their touchscreen glass. It also ensures that as a customer, your unboxing experience of the latest mobile phone is flawless, and
sustainability of their manufacturing
that the door of your new car closes with
processes – both before a product
a satisfying ‘whump’.
is made and as the production scales up over time.
Quantifying sustainability
“It’s become a business and regulatory
Hexagon’s digital twin technology has
requirement,” Ms Rouzeaud explained.
become a key tool in the global fight for
“Companies, therefore, need ways to
more sustainable production methods,
measure and quantify sustainability so
supply chains and products, because of
that they can treat it as another KPI within
its ability to help businesses accurately
their engineering processes and the
measure many criteria that affect the
product’s lifecycle.”
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HEXAGON
I PROFILE
heads, will all impact on your sustainability goals. You have to have a sustainability thread through everything that you do and we’re able to offer that capability through making it part of your digital twin. “Right now, the biggest problem that we are able to solve is obtaining and making Not all sustainability measurements
sense of the information companies need to
are straightforward – in fact, many are
make sustainable manufacturing decisions.”
decidedly complex. Happily, this is an area in which Hexagon’s smart digital
Digital twins drive ingenuity
reality can help companies understand
Hexagon’s mission is heavily focused on
the exact sustainability impact of every
empowering human ingenuity to find the
aspect of a given product.
answers to the challenges that our world
“It’s a new challenge, but we’re helping
is facing. “People who use our software
manufacturers to start looking at how you
take pride in making better products,”
design for sustainability and how their
Ms Rouzeaud said. “Whether it’s in the
choices will impact outcomes right from the
design, manufacture, assembly or quality
concept stage of a product,” saidMs
control, they’re obsessive about the
Rouzeaud. “The choice of the materials and
final product.
their performance, as well as how you make that product, plus the factory’s own over-
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“Sustainability means taking care of and empowering people. It’s not autonomy
versus people but rather helping people
Ms Rouzeaud concluded with a reflection
to collaborate better using autonomous
on the importance of sustainability:
tools. So while sustainability provides a
“Sustainability is urgent – we can’t wait
sense of purpose to our work, autonomy is
around for things to happen. The only thing
the lever – the solution – that we provide. The
that will truly make a difference is for people
data we collect, the autonomy our solutions
to take action. Therefore, sustainability is
provide, is bringing value and power to
a high priority for Hexagon, and it’s one that
people and to the planet.”
our people take immense pride in.”
n
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