The Manufacturing Outlook: Specials Magazine

Framence is transforming how industrial teams access and manage critical information, cutting through the complexity of scattered data with its photorealistic digital twins. Acting like a ‘Google Street View’ for industrial environments, its solution provides a seamless, instantly accessible view of assets—eliminating the inefficiencies of navigating multiple systems. In fast-paced industrial settings, having real-time access to accurate data is not just a convenience—it is essential for efficiency and informed decision-making. Across industries, engineers and technical specialists spend up to 30 percent of their working hours searching for crucial data buried in ERP platforms, IoT networks, asset management tools, and cloud databases. The constant back-and-forth between interfaces makes retrieving insights time-consuming and inefficient. Framence streamlines this process by serving as a unified, user-friendly access point that integrates effortlessly with existing systems. Without altering third-party platforms, it ensures that teams can quickly locate and leverage the information they need, no matter where it is stored. Since its launch in 2019, the company has prioritized making digital twins fast, easy, and cost-effective to create and update—giving teams a smarter, more efficient way to navigate spaces, collaborate, and manage assets. “Whether managing a vast real estate portfolio or overseeing complex technical assets on a factory floor, Framence equips teams with everything they need at their fingertips—helping them spend less time searching and more time driving results,” says Adrian Merkel, Managing Director of Framence. Photorealistic Twins for Seamless Data Integration The company’s technology captures a photorealistic representation of facilities and embeds essential data points within the imagery. For example, engineers inspecting a pump in a facility no longer need to search through multiple software systems for maintenance records, IoT readings, or specifications. Instead, they can click on the pump within the digital twin, instantly accessing all relevant data from sources like SAP or IoT Cloud in one centralized, visually intuitive interface. This streamlined approach dramatically accelerates workflows and enhances decision-making. Beyond centralizing data access, Framence also addresses a key limitation of traditional digital twins—keeping them up to date. Conventional methods, such as laser scanning, require specialized equipment and professional expertise, making updates costly and infrequent. Over time, these digital twins become obsolete, making them less dependable for real-world applications. Framence takes a different approach, allowing users to update models using widely available cameras, including smartphones. This enables on-site staff to effortlessly capture new data without waiting for external specialists, ensuring the digital twin always reflects the current state of assets and facilities.