AI specialist SAS has launched enhanced digital twin system designed for manufacturing. The new digital twins combine SAS’ AI and analytics with Unreal Engine (UE) from Epic Games.

Georgia-Pacific (GP), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of paper and wood-based building products, is piloting these enhanced digital twins at its Savannah River Mill, which manufactures napkins, paper towels and toilet tissue. GP is employing SAS’ technology to optimise its use of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and other processes.

SAS used RealityScan, a mobile app developed by Epic, to capture photorealistic renderings of GP’s Savannah plant and import them into UE. Combining SAS analytics and UE is helping GP fine-tune operations without disrupting actual production lines. The pilot is expected to deliver cost savings and higher-quality products.

Part of the SAS offering connects UE simulations with SAS Viya optimisation routines. By integrating SAS Viya capabilities into digital environments, users can run realistic simulations to find the best solutions.

UE is an open, advanced real-time 3D creation tool. It enables developers and creators to build interactive 3D experiences. Epic also operates Fortnite, battle testing the latest UE rendering technology in one of the world’s largest games. Epic makes this same technology available for use across games, film and television, architecture, automotive, simulation and other industries.

The fidelity of Unreal’s physics simulation and its next-generation lighting and refractive surface effects help create highly detailed and realistic digital models. These features allow manufacturers to visualise and interact with their operations in a digital environment, and when combined with AI, lead to more accurate predictions and better business decisions.

“With the help of SAS and Unreal Engine, we can create realistic simulations of factory operations. Imagine watching AGVs navigate through a bustling factory floor, reacting to proximity alerts, obstacles and rare adverse events in real time,” said Roshan Shah, GP’s Vice President of AI & Products. “The powerful analysis and photorealistic simulations delivered by SAS’ enhanced digital twins can enable decision making and boost output at Savannah River Mill. And they hold great promise for improving productivity, safety and efficiency at other GP facilities.”

The tech behind the digital twins “With SAS’ advanced analytics and Unreal Engine, GP created an amazing example for how a digital twin can create real-world value for businesses,” said Bill Clifford, Vice President and General Manager of Unreal Engine at Epic Games. “SAS is opening the door for manufacturers to bring complex data and automated systems to life through 3D visuals. This will make high-fidelity, interactive digital twins more accessible so manufacturers can upgrade their operations, gain better real-time insights and save money.”

“As manufacturers hire the next generation of workers, they need to make the use of data and AI more engaging and appealing,” said Bryan Harris, Chief Technology Officer of SAS. “Gaming technology – for a generation that grew up playing video games – is one important way to transform business decision making from charts and spreadsheets to immersive experiences with amazing visual fidelity. Gamifying business processes and tasks can make them less repetitive and more engaging, boosting productivity and bottom-line results.”

The enhanced digital twins offered by SAS and tapping UE make advanced analytics more accessible to a wider group of people with varying job roles and experience. In addition to data scientists and quantitative experts, frontline workers, machine operators and engineers can now more easily use data and AI.

SAS plans to extend these capabilities to additional manufacturers and explore other industries that could benefit from enhanced digital twins.