Reality Twin as a Tool for Successful Planned Maintenance

Have enough resources been allocated, and have people been properly briefed? What about safety factors in exceptional situations? Reality Twin offers a new approach to managing all this, by providing an accurate and visual 3D model of the production facility as a core element of successful shutdown planning.

No need to memorise the exact location of 108 valves anymore

Traditionally, maintenance schedules and task lists have been managed using spreadsheets or even pen and paper. While this approach can still be precise, the lack of clear and accessible digital tools makes managing the overall process and sharing information costly and cumbersome.

Reality Twin provides solutions for change management:

• Simulate and model both temporary and permanent changes in advance
• Monitor the progress of shutdown activities in near real time
• Share information quickly and in an easily understandable way in situations where it is needed

Simulate temporary and permanent changes in advance

Reality Twin’s design tools enable changes to be simulated within an accurate, real-world 3D model. For example, permanent layout changes in the production facility — including placement, usability, installability, maintainability, and safety factors — can be tested in advance.

However, even more crucial to the success of a shutdown are the temporary arrangements, that directly affect workflow and safety, such as:

• Scaffolding, weather protection, and routing arrangements
• Site cabins, break areas, and storage facilities
• Lifting equipment, lifting points, and power sources

All of these can be modelled and visually shared with work teams in Reality Twin before the work begins. This reduces misunderstandings and helps ensure that temporary setups do not block other critical tasks. Worker safety is also improved: obstacles, risk areas, and access routes can be marked out well before the shutdown starts.

Visualising tasks and schedules

Integrations and links enable automatic data imports into Reality Twin from a wide range of sources. This means that shutdown tasks, schedules, and progress can be visualised within a precise and detailed 3D factory view — from process to sub-process and down to equipment level.

Task cards created for individual activities can include not only basic details, but also assigned persons and teams, attachments and documentation, and safety requirements. Plans and instructions created within Reality Twin can also be linked to specific activities, ensuring they are automatically updated and made available to the relevant teams.

This makes the overall picture intuitive to grasp and simplifies dialogue between stakeholders about individual activities. This delivers major benefits, whether the task at hand is cleaning a multi-tonne plate heat exchanger or replacing dozens of valves in steam or condensate lines.

A shared platform for all stakeholders

Traditionally, plans have been distributed as PDF reports, spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations. Reality Twin serves as a shared communication platform, where each recipient sees information relevant to their role. Plans can be reviewed and commented on from a single place, without needing to interpret complex documents or search through folders.

Reality Twin’s mobile app supports field use by leveraging augmented reality (AR) and indoor positioning. This enables information to be delivered directly to the situations where it is needed:

• Users see their own location in relation to planned tasks, with route guidance provided
• Actions are visible in the AR view: “This valve is scheduled for replacement at 14:00”
• Linked documents, instructions, and safety information can be accessed instantly
• Task progress can be acknowledged or commented on directly

In this way, Reality Twin enhances communication and brings plans directly to the worksite. It reduces the need to leaf through paperwork, speeds up information retrieval, and supports occupational safety.

ROI: Better planning, fewer surprises

With Reality Twin, shutdown planning becomes more than just a document-based exercise — it becomes an intelligent tool that benefits everyone involved. The advantages are significant:

• Improved communication between teams
• Fewer errors and rework
• Shorter shutdown times and better resource utilisation
• Improved safety
• Documented insights to support continuous improvement

An investment in Reality Twin pays for itself with just one successful shutdown. When a production day costs tens or even hundreds of thousands of euros, every hour saved counts.

Put your laser scanning data to work

Do you already have point clouds or surface models? As an independent third-party software platform with versatile interfaces, Reality Twin allows you to incorporate laser scanning data from any provider and system.

Once you have a realistic model of your production facility and easy access to it, you can put your laser scanning data to work in your shutdown planning.

Reality Twin’s Design Tools are Suitable for Layout and Shutdown Planning

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