Tecsys Looks to Automate Digital Twin Technology for Warehouses

Tecsys, a supply chain management software vendor, announced a product called Digital Twin 3D Heat Map. The software enables a “no-code, out-of-the-box 3D representation of the warehouse,” according to a company press release.

Digital twins have grown in popularity in CRE. In theory, smart buildings are outfitted with IoT sensors capture and send many types of data—temperature, humidity, occupancy, lighting and heating use, parking usage, and more—to sophisticated software that models the properties. The computer systems are supposed to allow managers to run simulations and scenario planning, changing parameters and watching the impact on the buildings, occupants, and even surrounding areas to better understand how to manage goals.

The city of Orlando expanded the concept to create a digital twin of the city. A public and private project—the Orlando Economic Partnership—wanted to provide a virtual copy to “allow companies, local governments and nonprofits to visualize how their own plans will impact the region.” And, clearly, also let real estate investors, developers, REITs, and the like investigate the area more efficiently with less need for travel.

Willow, a digital twin vendor, started working with Microsoft late in 2022 to create an AI platform that could integrate building systems and data sources, generate operational rules, and then automate building management functions across a portfolio.

One shortcoming of the common approach to building digital twins has been the amount of work necessary to create the virtual models. Tecsys says that it has moved beyond that degree of complexity.

“This highly customizable analytics solution allows end users to visualize and optimize key warehouse operations,” the company wrote. “Unlike other warehouse digital twin solutions in the market, Tecsys’ Digital Twin 3D Heat Map does not require custom code or lengthy services engagements; rather, it automatically maps warehouse data to a 3D representation of the warehouse floor and enables customers to track pick and replenishment operations by navigating the warehouse on their PC or mobile device.”

The company says that the capabilities are backward compatible with multiple older versions of its Elite Warehouse Management System, or WMS, and the new software can generate a twin from data pulled from Elite WMS, rather than using manual input and mapping. That should allow more warehouse operators to gain access to digital modeling for optimization purposes.