Digital Twin

Why We Call It a "Living Twin" of Your Supply Chain

Translytics Editorial Team
18/6/2025
3 min read

Why We Call It a "Living Twin" of Your Supply Chain

Introduction

Digital twins have become a buzzword in modern supply chain management — but at Translytics, we take it a step further. We don't just create static models. We build a "Living Twin" — a dynamic, continuously evolving digital replica of your end-to-end supply chain.

Why do we call it a living twin?

Because your supply chain isn't static — and your digital twin shouldn't be either.

What Is a Living Twin?

A Living Twin is more than just a simulation model or a digital snapshot. It's a real-time, data-connected, decision-ready environment that mirrors your actual operations — every product, every node, every movement, and every risk.

Here's what makes it alive:

🔄 Continuously Updated: Feeds on live data from ERPs, demand systems, WMS, IoT sensors, and more

🧠 Intelligent & Adaptive: Learns from historical patterns and current events

⚙️ Action-Driven: Not only visualizes problems — it suggests and simulates solutions

🔍 Scenario-Tested: You can play out "what-if" events before acting in the real world

Static Twin vs. Living Twin

Let's break down the difference:

Feature
Static Twin
Living Twin
Data Refresh
Periodic
Real-time / Near real-time
Insights
Historical
Predictive + Prescriptive
Simulation
Manual models
Auto-simulated scenarios
Use Case
Reporting & visualization
Continuous decision support
User Role
Passive observer
Active decision-maker

A static twin shows you what was.

A Living Twin tells you what is — and what could be.

Why It Matters Now More Than Ever

Today's supply chains are under pressure from:

🌀 Market volatility

📦 SKU complexity

🌍 Global disruptions

📈 Customer expectations for speed and accuracy

In this environment, traditional planning tools fall short. You need a responsive, always-on system that can adapt in real time and simulate outcomes before you commit resources.

That's where a Living Twin becomes your strategic edge.

Real-World Impact of Living Twins

Our clients use Living Twins to:

Detect bottlenecks before they cause stockouts

Simulate impact of new suppliers, routes, or warehouses

Optimize inventory placement based on service risk and cost

Balance demand and supply dynamically across the network

Prepare for disruptions using scenario testing

In one case, a consumer electronics client used their Living Twin to identify overstock zones, simulate redistribution, and cut inventory holding cost by 18% — all without affecting service levels.

A Living Twin Is Not Just a Tool — It's a Thinking Partner

It enables planners to shift from:

GuessworkData-backed choices

Lagging reactionProactive response

One-time planningContinuous optimization

It doesn't replace the human — it augments the human with insight, foresight, and action support.

Conclusion: The Supply Chain Brain You Always Wanted

Calling it a "Living Twin" isn't just branding. It's a reflection of what modern supply chain teams truly need — a living, learning, and responsive digital model that stays in sync with reality and helps navigate uncertainty with confidence.

With a Living Twin, you stop reacting to problems —

and start designing outcomes.

Digital TwinSupply Chain SimulationInventory MovementDecision IntelligenceReal-time AnalyticsTranslytics