Thesis start: 2023
Thesis end: September 2026
Expected defense date: –
Abstract
Today, there are many solutions for long- and medium-term factory management (in other words, strategic and tactical: overall factory sizing, site selection, internal and external logistics choices, etc.) based on detailed models that are lengthy and complex to build due to the large number of inputs, management rules, and so on. These digital twin models generally rely on flow simulation techniques and cover only aspects related to production systems. They therefore do not provide a comprehensive predictive view of energy consumption and CO2 emissions—topics that are now priorities across all industrial groups. For reference, in a typical automotive plant, 50% of consumption is linked to production systems and 50% to buildings, heating and comfort systems, etc. It should also be noted that these models generally do not support companies in short-term or even real-time decision-making. The models take too long to create or too long to run.
The purpose of this thesis is therefore to propose solutions to:
(1) Integrate energy aspects in order to build a holistic digital twin of a factory that extends flow simulation approaches with predictive models related to buildings and heating and ventilation systems.
(2) Make the construction and use of simulation models (Digital Twins) fast and appropriate, in particular to take energy aspects into account—whether CO2 consumption aspects or energy cost aspects—while complying with the 3 “S” rule: Simplicity of design, Simplicity of maintenance, and Simplicity of use.
Building on the work carried out in the host laboratory on Digital Twins, and leveraging the platforms available at Mines Saint-Étienne (DIWII, IT’mFactory), several avenues can be explored and combined to address these challenges. For example:
- Automatic or semi-automatic model generation,
- Connecting the various information systems and taking data ontologies into account,
- Reducing computation times by implementing an appropriate information architecture,
- Meta-modelling (building simulation models through learning),
The methodology adopted to carry out this doctoral work is as follows:
- Conduct a review of the academic and industrial literature on the various relevant topics,
- Map, type, and label the data required to create the Digital Twin (DT),
- Develop and provide tooling for the DT construction and execution method(s),
- Develop and provide tooling for the means and techniques for implementing the DT,
- Technically integrate the tools and resources developed above to produce a proof of concept (PoC) in collaboration with the Chair’s end-user partners, and validate the PoC in a broader context of operational decision support
- Engage in a publication and dissemination campaign to academic and industrial communities.
Keywords
Modelling, Digital Twins, flows, energy consumption.
Partners and/or Funders
“Digital Twin for Industrial System” Chair
Relevant Sustainable Development Goals
Publications
- This poster, presented at the HCERES* audit of the LIMOS laboratory in 2025, summarizes several contributions of the St-Etienne applied mathematics team of the LIMOS made between 2023 and 2025. * HCERES : Haut Conseil de l'Evaluation de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement Supérieur
- The industry is currently affected by resource scarcity, including energy, water, gas, etc. Managing these resources has not been given much attention by the industry, even though it directly affects its performance. With rising energy costs, regulatory requirements, and environmental issues, it becomes necessary to estimate and control the energy consumption of manufacturing systems. This […]
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- Product Service System (PSS) design is shaped by different needs, requirements, and stakeholders. It involves understanding the needs and preferences of various stakeholders, balancing conflicting requirements, and integrating different sustainability concerns. Thus, a successful PSS design requires a systematic approach to effectively guide multi-criteria and collaborative decision-making. This article focuses on the collaborative decision-making process […]
- Digital twins have emerged as a promising technology in sustainability efforts, particularly in managing critical resources. Of these resources, water has assumed critical importance across various industries, necessitating effective management strategies. This paper explores the application of digital twins that include not only product flow but also other as energy and fluid flow. Our main […]
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- En phase de conception, la configuration d'une solution Systèmes Produits-Services (SPS) est caractérisée par (i) une diversité de macro-composants, (ii) d'offres de services et (iii) de modèles économiques [1]. Dans ce processus, il est essentiel d'impliquer les différentes parties prenantes pour tenir compte de leurs rôles, intérêts et attentes [2]. Les parties prenantes peuvent envisager […]
News
- Du 13 au 15 octobre 2025, le laboratoire LIMOS (Laboratoire d’Informatique, de Modélisation et d’Optimisation des Systèmes) a accueilli le Haut Conseil de l’évaluation de la recherche et de l’enseignement supérieur (HCERES) dans le cadre de son évaluation périodique. Autorité publique indépendante, le HCERES accompagne et … Lire la Suite →
- Du 30 juin au 4 juillet 2025, Xavier Delorme, enseignant-chercheur à Mines Saint-Étienne et Mariza Maliqi, doctorante, tous deux membres du LIMOS (UMR 6158), ont représenté Mines Saint-Etienne à la 11ᵉ conférence internationale de l’IFAC sur la modélisation, le pilotage et … Lire la Suite →
- Ce 2 juillet 2025, la Journée de la Recherche de l’École Doctorale Sciences – Ingénierie – Santé (SIS) s’est tenue sur le campus Manufacture de l’Université Jean Monnet à Saint-Étienne. Cette rencontre annuelle constitue un temps fort pour la communauté doctorale, … Lire la Suite →
- Ce 13 mars 2025, lors de la 7ᵉ édition de Global Industrie, l’Alliance Industrie du Futur (AIF) a dévoilé sa toute dernière brochure consacrée au jumeau numérique, un outil clé pour accélérer la décarbonation de l’industrie française. Ce document, remis … Lire la Suite →
- Du 29 au 31 mai, se tenait le 2ème congrès de la Société d’Automatique, de Génie Industriel et de Productique (SAGIP). Le congrès annuel de la SAGIP est une manifestation qui vise à rassembler les communautés françaises de recherche en Génie … Lire la Suite →
- Shervin Ahmadi, (doctorant au département Génie mathématique et industriel), Elena Yan (doctorante au département Informatique et systèmes intelligents) et Mariza Maliqi, (doctorante au département Génie mathématique et industriel) ont présenté leurs travaux de thèse lors du Colloque IMT 2024 dédié … Lire la Suite →
- Damien Lamy et Mariza Maliqi, membres de la chaire « Digital Twins for Industrial Systems » et du groupe de travail de l' »Alliance industrie du Futur », ont participé à une journée de travail qui s’est tenue à Paris le 12 décembre. Le … Lire la Suite →
- Dans le cadre de la chaire « Digital Twins for Industrial Systems« , Mariza Maliqi doctorante de la chaire à participé aux Journées Nationales des Jumeaux Numériques les 22 et 23 novembre organisées par l’ENIT en collaboration avec L’IEEE SMC chapitre français, … Lire la Suite →
- La conférence « Avancées dans les systèmes de gestion de la production. Systèmes de fabrication et de logistique intelligents : transformer les idées en action » (APMS 2022) s’est tenue en Corée du Sud du 25 au 30 septembre. APMS 2022 visait à … Lire la Suite →