From Concept to Technology: Digital Twins Driving Industrial Transformation
On 7 October 2025, HiSeedTech and CICECO – University of Aveiro co-organised an exclusive, full-day Digital Twin Workshop at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. Supported by BBVA, the event brought together executives from a wide range of organisations, including several of HiSeedTech’s member companies. Among the featured speakers was NTT DATA Portugal, which shared practical use cases demonstrating the industrial applications of Digital Twin technology.
The initiative provided a strategic platform to explore how Digital Twin technologies — virtual replicas of real systems that continuously receive data to simulate, monitor, and optimise physical processes — can accelerate competitiveness, sustainability, and innovation in industry.
The morning session, chaired by Paula Vilarinho (CICECO – University of Aveiro), began with an institutional opening featuring João Veloso (University of Aveiro), Nelson Ferreira (Agenda PRR ILLIANCE), and Pedro Vilarinho (HiSeedTech). The speakers stressed the importance of collaboration between academia and industry to translate deep tech knowledge into market-ready solutions.
The first presentation, by Alejandro Franco (Université de Picardie Jules Verne, France), explored “Digital Tools for Accelerated Optimization of Battery Manufacturing Processes: From Research to Market.” He described how up to 90% of material losses occur when scaling from lab to industrial production and demonstrated how AI-driven “on-the-fly optimisation” can reduce waste and improve process efficiency. He also introduced Aikemics, a startup he co-founded to bring these solutions to market.
The second speaker, Luca Montorsi from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy), followed with “Driving Efficiency with Virtualisation and Digital Twin in Energy-Intensive Industries”. Using the ceramic tile industry as a case study, he demonstrated how Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of kiln components can optimise airflow, temperature distribution, and energy consumption. His team validated the models with DATAPAQ temperature measurements taken inside operating kilns, allowing for real-time calibration of burner settings, air recirculation, and conveyor speed. This integration of digital models and physical data significantly reduced energy use and improved product quality, offering a tangible example of how virtualisation enhances performance in traditional manufacturing sectors.
Nelson Ferreira (Bosch Termotecnologia) was the next speaker and presented “The Digital Twin – Industry 4.0 Myths and Reality”. He outlined three maturity levels of digital representation — the Digital Sketch, Digital Shadow, and Digital Twin — each serving different business purposes. He reminded participants that digital transformation should align with business value, posing the question: “Do you really need the most expensive one?” He illustrated his point with examples from Rolls-Royce, which uses digital twins to monitor aircraft engines; Tesla, which employs Firmware-over-the-Air (FoTA) updates to manage vehicle systems remotely; and Bosch Thermotechnik, which applies digital twins to enhance predictive maintenance and production efficiency. He concluded by urging companies to “start listening to their ROI”, presenting a value-based framework: Digital Sketches can reduce design iterations by 20–40%, Digital Shadows can lower downtime by 10–30%, and Digital Twinstypically deliver 5–15% efficiency gains — mainly in mission-critical operations.
The morning concluded with Hélder Almeida from EFACEC, who delivered “Empowering the Future – 3D Digital Twin”. He shared how EFACEC initiated a lean transformation process to accelerate product delivery and explored how digital twins could centralise information and increase responsiveness. The company is transitioning from batch production to one-piece flow, fully digitalising the value chain from engineering to production. EFACEC’s digital twin architecture integrates automation, sensorisation, MES systems, and ERP platforms, ensuring real-time data visibility, traceability, and predictive control. This transformation has led to reduced total production time (TPT), increased inventory turnover, and improved virtual training and simulation capabilities.
The afternoon session chaired by Pedro Vilarinho shifted the focus to practical applications of digital twins and the broader future of industrial digitalisation.
Ricardo Belo from NTT DATA Portugal a HiSeedTech member company opened with “Practical Use Cases of Digital Twins”. He shared examples of how NTT DATA acts as a “microfactory of digital twins” developing models tailored to industrial needs. The use cases included: Water resource management, Substation monitoring and smart dam management, Solar farm digital twins and Machinery park digitalisation.
Next António Almeida from INESC TEC (Porto, Portugal) presented “How Can Digitalisation Boost the Competitiveness of Industry?”. He began by explaining why this topic is crucial now: “we are living in a NAMI environment — one of Novelty Ambiguity Multidisciplinarity and Interconnectedness — where product and value chain complexity is increasing and customisation demands are reshaping production. We need solutions that enable faster and more assertive decisions — and consequently greater competitiveness” he noted. Referencing the MIT Sloan Management Review article “How Digital Twins Are Reinventing Innovation” (2020) he highlighted that digital twins are key enablers of Industry 4.0 delivering transparency predictive capacity and adaptability. He presented the Process Digital Twin defined as “a virtual representation of a production system capable of running multiple simulation disciplines synchronised with the physical system through sensor data mathematical models and real-time analytics.” He illustrated how this integration — linking physical and digital layers via connected smart devices — enables continuous monitoring predictive control and real-time optimisation. Almeida also recalled that NASA first adopted digital twins in 2010 to simulate and anticipate spacecraft issues demonstrating their transformative potential. He concluded by emphasising that digital transformation depends not only on technology but also on strategy culture and data-driven decision-making.
The session continued with a round table discussion on the "Future of Digital Twins" moderated by Pedro Vilarinho (HiSeedTech) featuring Alejandro Franco (Université de Picardie Jules Verne), André Godinho (Infinite Foundry), António Almeida (INESC TEC), Hélder Almeida (EFACEC), Luca Montorsi (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia), Nelson Ferreira (Bosch Termotecnologia), and Ricardo Belo (NTT DATA Portugal). The debate addressed seven guiding questions exploring the value selectivity challenges collaboration and future of Digital Twin technology.
The first question — “Why now?” — focused on the value and timing of investment in digital twins. The panellists agreed that the current industrial landscape shaped by global competition and increasing complexity makes this the ideal time for adoption. EFACEC’s example illustrated how even a small pilot project can yield rapid results: within six months the company recovered its initial investment and achieved nearly 50% faster market response times. For NTT DATA the greatest challenge — and opportunity — lies in the ongoing process of data standardisation which demands patience but unlocks long-term scalability. As Luca Montorsi noted flexibility and adaptability are critical attributes for organisations operating in fast-evolving industries.
When asked which sectors stand to benefit most, participants pointed to energy, automotive, and robotics, where abundant data and operational complexity create fertile ground for digital twin implementation. These areas show the clearest and fastest returns on investment, especially in predictive maintenance and energy efficiency.
On the topic of barriers to adoption, three main challenges emerged:
Asked where to start, the speakers advised companies to begin with a focused pilot but maintain a strategic vision. Small, well-defined projects can validate the technology and demonstrate tangible benefits, provided they are designed within a scalable digital architecture that supports long-term growth. The discussion also underscored the importance of collaboration between industry, research institutions, and universities. Real innovation, the panellists noted, stems from co-creation and shared learning. They highlighted that humility, openness, and trust are essential for building partnerships that translate scientific knowledge into industrial impact.
Looking to the future, participants agreed on the need to move from isolated projects to sustained collaboration.This requires establishing permanent networks and innovation ecosystems capable of maintaining experimentation and knowledge exchange beyond short-term initiatives.
The day ended with a Rapporteur Report by José Carlos Caldeira (INESC TEC), who synthesised the key takeaways from the workshop and outlined future directions for research, policy, and industrial cooperation.
In her closing remarks, Paula Vilarinho thanked the speakers, participants, and audience, emphasising that the workshop revealed digital twins as both a technological opportunity and a cultural challenge — one that demands vision, partnership, and long-term commitment.
This initiative reaffirms HiSeedTech’s commitment to bridging knowledge and industry, working alongside CICECO – University of Aveiro and national innovation leaders to foster the adoption of deep tech solutions that strengthen Europe’s industrial competitiveness and sustainability.
Participation in the workshop was limited and by invitation only.
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