Digital Twins & Virtual Commissioning
Test, train and optimise on a virtual copy before you spend on the real one
In short
Wartens builds digital twins for UK manufacturers, utilities and asset owners from CAD data at 1:1 scale, driven by the real or simulated PLC program so logic, interlocks and sequences are proven before site work. The same model can be reused for planning and layout, live operational monitoring with SCADA and ERP data, and VR operator training.
A digital twin lets you test, train and optimise on a virtual copy of your machine or plant before you spend time and money on the real one. Our twins, built through iUNI, are modelled from CAD data at 1:1 scale, connected to live sensor data, and used for planning, training, monitoring and virtual commissioning.
Because we are automation engineers first, the twin runs the same control logic your plant will run. Virtual commissioning moves the debugging of PLC code into a virtual environment before it reaches physical equipment.
Digital Twins & Virtual Commissioning in the United Kingdom
The services we lead with locally, what you get and who they suit best.
What we offer
Four twins we build
Virtual commissioning twin
A machine or line model driven by your real or simulated PLC program, so logic, interlocks and sequences are tested before site work. For machine builders and system integrators.
Planning and layout twin
A VR walk-through of a new line or factory to check layout, flow and ergonomics before investing in physical infrastructure. For plant engineering and new-build projects.
Operational twin
A live replica fed by sensor data, with a web-based 3D viewer, analytics dashboard, anomaly detection and what-if simulation, integrated with SCADA, PLC and ERP. For operations, maintenance and energy managers.
Training twin
VR replicas of your equipment where operators and engineers practise procedures and faults safely. For HR, training and safety managers.
What the evidence shows
Virtual commissioning results reported in industry
Design phase cut by 10% and commissioning time by 25% at machine builder Tronrud
Software quality rose from 37% to 84% while real commissioning time fell 75%, in a field study
Real commissioning of machine tools up to 70% faster
On-site commissioning time cut by 70% on a brownfield engine assembly line
Results reported by the organisations named; they are not Wartens project results.
Why now
The global digital twin market was valued at about USD 35.8 billion in 2025 and is forecast to grow 31.1% a year to 2033, with North America the largest region (Grand View Research). Major vendors are investing: Siemens launched Digital Twin Composer in January 2026, built on NVIDIA Omniverse libraries (MarketsandMarkets).
Open standards
Clients increasingly ask for twins that other systems can read. The ISO 23247 series sets out a digital twin framework for manufacturing. In Germany, the Asset Administration Shell is the standardised digital twin used across the Manufacturing-X data-space projects, and 75 electrical and digital companies have committed to build it into their products.
How we deliver
One model serves all four uses, so a twin built for commissioning keeps paying back in operations and training. A typical digital twin project takes 12 to 24 weeks.
Why Wartens
Why build your twin with Wartens
Same logic as the plant
The twin runs your real PLC program, not an animation, so what passes virtually behaves the same on site.
Built from your CAD
1:1 models from your engineering data, connected to live sensors when the plant is running.
Open standards on request
Twins can be structured for interoperability, following the ISO 23247 framework and, in Germany, the Asset Administration Shell.
Reused across the lifecycle
Commissioning, operations and training all use the same model.
Explore more
Related services
Our practices share one engineering centre. Here's what pairs well with Digital Twins & Virtual Commissioning.
See every service we offer here, or explore the industries we serve.
Start with a short discovery call
Send us your drawings, code or site details. A Wartens engineer will reply with a written scope, schedule and price, not a sales script.
Questions we're asked
Virtual commissioning means testing your PLC program against a virtual model of the machine or line before site work. Logic, interlocks and sequences are debugged against the model, so problems are found on a computer rather than on physical equipment, and site time is shorter and lower risk.
Four kinds: a virtual commissioning twin driven by your PLC program; a planning and layout twin for VR walk-throughs of new lines; an operational twin fed by live sensor data and integrated with SCADA, PLC and ERP; and a training twin for safe VR practice. One model built from your CAD can serve all four.