Seven Questions CPGs Are Asking OEMs About Digital Twins
With more brands writing digital twin requirements into RFQs, the Automation Fair revealed seven questions OEMs need to be ready to answer from their customers before the first design review.
Dwayne Negron, digital twin capability manager at Kalypso, a Rockwell business, noted that more end users are “bringing in digital twin requirements on first pass to their contracts.
Packaging World
As more brand owners begin including digital twin requirements in their RFQs, Rockwell says OEM engagement is becoming one of the most important success factors. At Rockwell's Automation Fair this week, Dwayne Negron, digital twin capability manager at Kalypso, a Rockwell business, noted that more end users are “bringing in digital twin requirements on first pass to their contracts,” which means machine builders are increasingly expected to support them.
For CPG engineering teams preparing for new equipment purchases or line upgrades, here are the questions Rockwell recommends asking OEMs early:
1. What CAD assets can you provide, and in what format? Digital twins depend heavily on simplified or full-detail CAD models. CPGs should understand whether their OEM can provide the required geometry and how the OEM handles IP protection.
“OEMs are protective of their CAD data… There’s a lot of IP tied to that," he said.
2. Can you provide virtualized PLC logic for emulation? Rockwell emphasized that digital twins work best when the OEM shares real controls code, not placeholder logic. Ask whether the OEM supports program encryption or controlled-access environments for collaboration.
"“OEMs are [also] protective of their… PLC/software programs. We produce the digital twin and encrypt [the PLC program],” Negron said.
3. Are your machines already part of a digital twin library or reference model? In this case, part of a Rockwell/Kalypso Digital Twin partnership with an OEM's machine? Rockwell is building partnerships with OEMs to pre-build digital twins of specific assets. If your equipment is already modeled, your commissioning and troubleshooting twins could come online faster.
"Rockwell is going into many different partnerships with OEMs to produce digital twins of their specific equipment," he said. Rockwell positions modeling and simulation as foundational steps on the journey to autonomous industrial operations, moving manufacturers from descriptive and diagnostic analytics toward predictive modeling, prescriptive modeling, and ultimately autonomous control as data maturity and connectivity increase.Rockwell Automation
4. How will updates be managed post-installation? How will future equipment changes, like controls updates, mechanical revisions, tag additions, be communicated so the twin stays accurate? Controls revisions, firmware changes, and mechanical updates all affect the accuracy of a digital twin. Ask whether your OEM has a change-management pathway that keeps virtual and physical machines aligned.
“Models are built for design or commissioning and then they're ‘shelved.’ To use the model, users are then required to bring the digital twin back in sync with its physical twin," Negron said.
5. What support do you offer during virtual FAT or commissioning? Digital twins allow FATs, I/O checks, safety logic validation, and sequencing tests to start weeks or months earlier. OEM participation in virtual FAT can significantly reduce startup risk.
“We’re able to take that controls testing time… and get that process started much earlier in the equipment’s lifespan," he said.
6. How does the OEM protect its IP while enabling your modeling needs? Negron acknowledged OEM concerns directly, and for good reason, OEMs have to be careful of their own IP. Ask what encryption methods, access controls, or middle-ground collaboration tools the OEM uses to safely support you.
“We… receive that information… produce the digital twin and encrypt. We then go to the intermediate environment… [and] protect that information the same way [OEMs] normally would," Negron said.
Together, these questions help ensure that CPGs and OEMs approach digital twins as a strategic component of modern packaging equipment design, delivery, and lifecycle management, and not an afterthought.
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