Digitalization in mechanical engineering is not a one-time project
Even if a company has been successfully engaged in traditional engineering for years, the machine is functioning, the workflows are established, and the teams are familiar with their processes, everyone eventually reaches a point where challenges grow along with increasing complexity.
Commissioning takes much longer than planned, and customer requests and necessary changes must be implemented on short notice.
At this point, at the latest, the question arises of how development, simulation, and automation can be better integrated. The solution should be the successful use of a simulation platform such as iPhysics.
When companies decide to work with us, we don’t start with a ready-made solution or a rigid project plan, but rather with many discussions. Together, we examine existing processes, speak with the teams involved, and try to understand where the real bottlenecks lie in day-to-day operations.
There is no denying that virtual commissioning, digital twins, and connected engineering are fundamentally transforming the development of machines and systems. At the same time, however, the demands on development processes, data consistency, and interdisciplinary collaboration are also increasing.
It is therefore important not to view collaboration as an isolated software project, but rather to focus on genuine collaboration across departments, systems, and organizational boundaries.
At machineering, our goal is to build long-term partnerships in which we work together to refine processes, build knowledge, and establish sustainable solutions.
Why Traditional Project Logic Often Falls Short
Many industrial projects still follow the old model: define requirements, implement a solution, and finally wrap up the project.
This may work for clearly defined tasks, but in digital product development, you quickly reach your limits. That’s because areas like virtual commissioning and digital twins are constantly evolving. New requirements often arise only during implementation. Data models must be adapted, interfaces change, and simulation models grow alongside the project. At the same time, processes involving mechanical, electrical, and software engineering continue to evolve, and new automation components are added.
The real challenge, therefore, lies not only in introducing a tool but in establishing a sustainable way of working.
Collaboration Begins with Conversation
Many of the best ideas don’t come from workshops or specifications, but from everyday conversations. Often, we sit down with clients and don’t even start by discussing features or software. Instead, we focus on specific real-life situations: Where is a process unnecessarily time-consuming? Which workflows are prone to errors? What information is missing during commissioning? And where do existing tools reach their limits?
These details are particularly crucial in mechanical and plant engineering. After all, every plant is different, every engineering team works slightly differently, and many challenges only become apparent when mechanics, electrical engineering, software, and simulation come together.
That is why it is so important that we listen carefully not only at the start of a project, but throughout the entire collaboration.
Time and again, we see how a small question can suddenly give rise to a bigger idea. A customer describes a manual step that takes up time every day. Another team reports issues with communication between the PLC and the simulation. Or there’s a desire to be able to test certain processes earlier, long before the actual hardware is available.
And it is precisely through such conversations that iPhysics continues to evolve. Many of the platform’s features did not just come about on their own, but stem directly from our customers’ requirements. This often leads to solutions that later become relevant for many other companies as well. A small challenge in a specific project suddenly develops into a feature that improves the exchange between engineering systems, simplifies communication between PLCs and simulation, or creates new possibilities for virtual commissioning.
In this way, the platform grows step by step alongside the requirements of the mechanical and plant engineering industry. And that is exactly what we mean by partnership. We don’t just provide the software; together with our customers, we develop solutions that truly work in everyday engineering.
From Tool to Platform
Especially when it comes to topics like virtual commissioning, it quickly becomes clear that individual tools alone are rarely sufficient. Today, simulation is no longer limited to PLC logic. Material flow, robotics, safety, user interfaces, and data communication must also be taken into account. At the same time, different teams with different requirements are working on the same models.
This is precisely why we view iPhysics not as an isolated simulation tool, but as a platform for networked engineering.
The platform combines 3D simulation, virtual commissioning, PLC connectivity, co-simulation, data integration, and model-based development in a single environment. This creates a technical foundation on which different disciplines can collaborate without having to constantly transfer or reconstruct information between different systems.
For us, partnership is more than just support or project assistance. It means working together to understand technical challenges, further develop engineering processes, and establish digital methods within the company in a sustainable way.
Especially with complex topics such as virtual commissioning and the digital twin, the greatest added value arises where collaboration is approached with a long-term perspective.
Want to know more? Request our trend paper now!
Links to the website
General link:
Learn more about iPhysics and our virtual commissioning solutions on our website: www.machineering.com.
Directly to the product page:
Discover iPhysics – your solution for cloud-based simulation: www.machineering.com/en/products/iphysics
Contact page:
Do you have any questions? Contact us for more information: www.machineering.com/en/contact
Overview of VIBN:
Find out more about virtual commissioning and its benefits here www.machineering.com/en/virtual-commissioning
