Exploring the Role of Digital Twins in Virtual Engineering for Production Facility Planning: A Study on Trust, Dependency, and Transparency

In today’s industrial landscape, Digital Twins and Virtual Engineering are revolutionizing production system planning by enabling accurate simulations and reducing the need for physical prototypes. However, these advancements depend on effective buyer-supplier collaboration, where trust, dependency, and transparency play critical roles. Trust ensures confidence in simulation accuracy and supplier capabilities, while dependency arises from the reliance on supplier-provided tools and expertise. Transparency bridges the gap by enabling buyers to evaluate models effectively and make informed decisions. This study examines the interplay of these three dimensions, highlighting their relevance in managing buyer-supplier dynamics and providing strategies to enhance collaboration through insights from a systematic literature review.