Siemens and Mercedes-Benz have collaboratively developed a Digital Energy Twin. Accordingly, this will facilitate the future of sustainable factory planning in the automotive industry. 

The technology aims to support Mercedes-Benz in running its sites worldwide on 100 percent renewable energies by 2039. For that reason, the innovative Digital Energy Twin enhances, simplifies, and speeds the early phase factory energy planning process. Specifically, for both brownfield and greenfield sites, reducing planning time significantly. 

Combines Real, Digital Worlds

The collaboration combines the decarbonization and energy twin domain know-how of Siemens with the deep automotive knowledge of our renowned partner, to create a scalable tool for the automotive environment. Siemens will provide training and support, and maintain and continuously develop the Digital Energy Twin. Thus, it will form part of a broad implementation across the Mercedes-Benz global production network. 

The Digital Energy Twin has been designed and tested in Mercedes-Benz plant Sindelfingen, Germany, at the ‘Factory 56’. The test generated came from behavioral models of buildings, technical equipment, and energy generation.  

Specifically, it connects inputs such as weather data, load profile simulation, building asset selection, and dimensioning. Simulating a physical energy system, it verifies proposed planning scenarios for energy usage. Thus, providing recommendations on how to optimize desired outcomes. This include energy efficiency and associated cost savings, as well as emission reduction.

“By accurately modelling operational and energy usage scenarios, the Digital Energy Twin enables faster and more transparent decision-making in the early planning phases,” said Matthias Rebellius, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Smart Infrastructure. “This demonstrates how at Siemens we are combining the real and digital worlds to drive scalable, sustainable progress in industries, and represents an exciting first step towards an integrated process for optimized planning, building operation, and production.”

Advances Digitalization

The co-created Digital Energy Twin demonstrates the potential of Siemens Xcelerator, an open digital business platform. Specifically, it accelerates digital transformation, enabling customers and partners to jointly develop tailored products and solutions for various industries.

Siemens and Mercedes Benz established a strategic partnership in 2021 for sustainable automotive production. Thus, enabling cooperation in advancing the digitalization of sustainable production methods. 

“The Digital Energy Twin is our answer to successfully visualize, analyze and sustainably optimize energy-efficient building processes. Through this innovative approach, we benefit from a better understanding of existing factory buildings and transform them into living smart buildings. Thanks to this transformative technology, we are maximizing their potential and setting forward-looking standards for energy-efficient and sustainable building use in Mercedes-Benz’s global production network” said Arno van der Merwe, Vice President Production Planning Mercedes Benz Cars.  

 30 April 2024