IMDA launches digital twin playbook for Singapore enterprises

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has developed a playbook to help non-technology enterprises in Singapore determine if digital twin technology suits their operations, and how to implement it while managing costs and risks.

A digital twin acts as a live virtual replica of physical equipment, buildings, or operational processes. By drawing on real-world data, the technology mirrors asset performance in real time, enabling businesses to monitor operations, test proposed changes, and identify potential issues before making physical interventions.

While the technology supports long-term planning and day-to-day decision-making, many organisations struggle to identify a viable starting point or assess their data readiness. The Digital Twin for Enterprises Playbook addresses these challenges, offering guidance compiled alongside early adopters, technology providers, and industry leaders.

The publication focuses on sectors where equipment failures, defects, and operational disruptions can incur substantial costs: manufacturing, the built environment, logistics, and supply chains. Crucially, its framework prioritises the business problem over the technology itself, encouraging firms to define clear target outcomes before selecting tools or designing infrastructure.

Building the case before choosing the technology

The playbook highlights design and prototyping as a key use case. Companies can model and evaluate concepts in a virtual environment before committing resources to a physical build, significantly reducing the cost of modifications later in the cycle.

Process improvement represents another core application. By consolidating data from equipment, workflows, and business systems, organisations gain a unified view of operations. This allows teams to dynamically adjust maintenance schedules, resource allocation, and daily operational decisions based on current conditions.

Before investing, enterprises are advised to assess their projected business impact, operational nature, and data readiness. These initial checks establish whether a digital twin is the right solution for the problem and ensure the organisation possesses sufficient, reliable data to support it.

Once the assessment is complete, firms can move to technical design. Depending on the project’s scope, a deployment may require sensors and connected IoT devices for data collection, integration software for cross-system data exchange, alongside analytics, AI, and visualisation tools.

IMDA recommends a phased implementation approach. Companies should begin by defining the specific business use case, followed by assessing data readiness and infrastructure compatibility. Next, they must decide whether to build a custom system or procure an existing solution. Finally, robust governance and cybersecurity safeguards should be established before deployment starts.

Initial deployment should focus purely on monitoring to establish a reliable operational baseline. Advanced predictive and simulation features can then be introduced once the underlying data, systems, and processes are proven. The playbook includes a readiness checklist covering leadership, technology, operations, workforce capability, and new business avenues.

Exceltec links building data with operational decisions

The playbook features Exceltec Property Management, an organisation overseeing more than 100 sites in Singapore, to demonstrate how this framework applies to real-world building operations.

Prior to adoption, Exceltec relied on siloed systems, and staff collected much of their operational data manually. Maintenance teams operated on fixed inspection schedules, meaning faults were often discovered only during routine rounds or following an outright equipment breakdown.

Supported by IMDA’s Digital Leaders Programme, the firm integrated data from connected sensors, existing building systems, and maintenance logs into a single platform. This unified view provided real-time visibility across properties, allowing teams to deploy resources based on actual demand rather than arbitrary timelines.

According to the case study, the system eliminated the need for manual pump inspections and saved technicians approximately 45 minutes of labour each day.

Beyond daily operations, Exceltec leverages insights on building and equipment health to assist clients with long-term capital planning. The firm is also exploring opportunities to deliver these digital capabilities through ecosystem partners, such as cleaning providers, as part of an integrated facilities management offering.

The Exceltec example is one of four local case studies featured in the playbook, which balances technical guidance with real-world applications to address specific operational and commercial challenges.