Accelerating product development with the use of digital twin
Kesla is a multitalent of forest technology. The company’s products cover all stages of wood harvesting from stump to mill. Kesla’s product development is customer-oriented and based on long-term cooperation with its partners. KESLA products are known in the market for their usability, productivity, durability and good resale value.
Digital twin in a product launch
Kesla originally introduced the digital twin for the purposes of product training and marketing. The simulation model of one of the company’s cranes duplicated the operation of the existing product to a T, which made presenting the product easier and enhanced the positive user experience. The benefits offered by the digital twin translated, above all, into cost-effectiveness and convenience: the digital twin is easy to use at fairs or customer events where the product needs to be presented and used as faithfully as possible.
Digital twin gets a second life
When Kesla started developing a new crane model, they wanted to utilize the existing digital twin of the crane in designing new product features. Utilizing the existing digital twin was a smart and cost-effective choice, because the original twin was functional and duplicated the real product’s operation.
Modifications were incorporated into the digital twin during the product development project so that it would duplicate the new crane model. The operation of the crane, and the performance and range of motion of the mechanical structures, for example, were tested in the course of the project. For Kesla, it was important to simulate the design of the hydraulics and test different components to find the optimal structure before even building a prototype. Etteplan was in charge of developing the new digital twin together with Mevea, who develops simulation software for the digital twin.
Jukka Kurkinen, Head of R&D at Kesla, is pleased with the benefits offered by the digital twin:
“Expanding the use of the digital twin from training and marketing to R&D has been an important step for us. The digital twin has made our product development process much faster, as it allows us to simulate new product features and the usability of our crane already in the design phase. It has also increased the cost-effectiveness of our product development: we can focus on design and tests before manufacturing a prototype. Thanks to Etteplan’s and Mevea’s expertise, we have taken a major step forward in our product development and marketing. ”
Cost-effectiveness in product development
Testing new product features using the digital twin accelerated product development at Kesla, as the need for any changes could be detected early on in the process. It was also important for Kesla to be able to utilize the existing digital twin in developing the product further.
Kesla intends to utilize the digital twin resulting from R&D to market the new crane and to train its users. Going forward, the simulation model will also be used in developing new products and product features.
