scope:

The present guideline details the phases of a production system from assembly and production process planning up to the running series production. This includes a definition of the main points that are important for Digital Factory Operations. This guideline will define possible applications, explain their use in the different life cycle phases of a production system and the opportunities for a continuous data management (see Figure 2), which is the basis for the Digital Factory Operations to use the Digital Factory's production planning results and, in its turn, provide data for operative IT systems. This also constitutes a chance to link up Digital Factory models with reality and go on using them in series production, improving them while doing so.

At the transition point between planning and commissioning/ series production, virtual and/or real machines and their dynamic behaviour interact with virtual and/or real system controllers and form logical system images. With its link to the superordinate manufacturing execution systems (see VDI 5600 Part 1), Digital Factory Operations allows statements to be made on the overall behaviour on machines and systems before these have really been started up (see Figure 3).