Digital Twin Use Cases

In this episode of Stay Sharp in Digital Engineering, hosts Juliann Grant and Jonathan Scott welcome back Dr. Patrick Hillberg for his fourth appearance on the show. A professor and thought leader in PLM, systems thinking, and digital transformation, Dr. Hillberg joins the conversation to explore powerful and practical use cases for digital twins across industries.

From Hollywood film sets and football fields to harbor cranes, commercial airliners, and collapsed buildings, this episode dives into how digital twins—and more importantly, digital threads—are being used to simulate, diagnose, and even prevent catastrophic events.

Highlights from the Episode:

• How Apollo 13’s analog twin scene inspired a new way to understand digital twin value

• Real-world failure analysis: a Texas harbor crane collapse and the missed opportunity for a front-running simulation

• The tragic 737 door plug and MAX incidents—and what could have been prevented with a robust digital thread

• Digital twins in consumer tech: how your car app may already be a sparse but effective digital twin

• Why insurance companies might lead the charge in demanding front-running simulations for risk mitigation

• A strong case for designing your digital thread before you build your product

Dr. Hillberg also walks us through the six foundational pillars of product lifecycle management, originally laid out by Michael Grieves, and reframes them as essential elements of a functioning digital twin ecosystem.

Whether you’re an engineer, innovator, or executive, this episode challenges you to rethink how you capture, use, and respond to real-time data—and how digital twins can be your most valuable asset in designing for safety, efficiency, and accountability.

Tune in to hear:

• The critical difference between a digital twin and a digital thread

• Why sparse twins can still deliver massive value

• How front-running simulations could prevent billion-dollar mistakes—and save lives