Hexagon Digital Factory: A comprehensive solution for the future of manufacturing

Manufacturers today face growing pressure to optimise factory operations, streamline workflows, and prepare for the next generation of smart manufacturing. Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division addresses these challenges with Digital Factory, a comprehensive digitalisation solution designed to transform how factories are planned, managed, and optimised. By enabling the creation of highly accurate digital twins of production facilities, this advanced platform provides manufacturers with the tools to enhance efficiency, minimise costly errors, and future-proof their operations for the demands of tomorrow.

Digital Factory enables manufacturers to not only reconfigure production lines with precision but also future-proof their operations for sustainability and adaptability. With its open interfaces, this solution facilitates seamless integration with existing shop floor assets. Such innovations could save large-scale manufacturing companies as much as £35 million annually, by preventing costly mistakes, reducing on-site training requirements, and cutting travel costs by 50%.

Hexagon’s unique position in the market stems from its extensive expertise in reality capture and surveying equipment, coupled with robust software tools designed for 3D visualisation, scenario exploration, and simulation. Digitalisation technologies have been proven across sectors such as civil infrastructure, architecture, and public safety for over two decades, yet the manufacturing sector has only begun to realise their full potential. This is particularly true for brownfield sites, where disruption necessitates a re-evaluation of equipment and factory layouts.

Bridging the productivity gap

According to a study commissioned by Hexagon and conducted by Forrester, 32% of manufacturers identified outdated and inefficient manual processes as barriers to productivity and collaboration. The Digital Factory platform offers a future-forward alternative to traditional factory planning methods. By enhancing data access and collaboration, it not only ramps up productivity but also provides a robust solution for factory remodeling, preventing expensive mistakes before they happen.

At the core of Digital Factory is its ability to provide real-time, immersive virtual environments that mirror real-world factory conditions. This addresses one of the key obstacles facing smart factory initiatives: the need for accurate, up-to-date data across teams. The system facilitates seamless collaboration between manufacturing and operations teams globally, promoting efficiency and reducing the need for on-site presence.

Powered by precision reality capture

Hexagon’s Digital Factory leverages an extensive range of hardware and software tools to create highly detailed, dimensionally accurate digital models of factory floors. The solution is powered by Hexagon's award-winning reality capture technologies, including: the Leica BLK2GO handheld laser scanner, the Leica BLK ARC autonomous scanning module, and Leica RTC360 terrestrial laser scanners.

These tools enable manufacturers to generate detailed point clouds of their facilities, which are processed using Hexagon’s Cyclone software portfolio and the cloud-based Reality Cloud Studio. Manufacturers can quickly recreate 3D spaces using data from Hexagon’s or third-party scanning hardware, ensuring flexibility and speed in adapting factory layouts.

Complete digital workflows for maximum value

Hexagon offers a full suite of workflows to ensure that manufacturers can fully exploit the benefits of digitalisation. The process begins with scanning factory floors to create actionable 3D models, followed by data management in the cloud. This streamlined approach allows team members and external stakeholders to provide feedback and make informed decisions based on accurate and up-to-date virtual models.

The Digital Factory platform enables manufacturers to: 1) Conduct virtual factory tours: Eliminate the need for on-site visits by conducting digital tours, reducing travel costs and improving remote factory monitoring. 2) Enhance remote collaboration: Cloud-based tools support collaboration between global teams, enabling real-time feedback and decision-making from anywhere in the world. 3)  Optimise factory layouts: Capture exact measurements of factory spaces and remodel layouts with precision, avoiding costly construction errors and downtime. 4) Upgrade and install machinery with ease: Evaluate new equipment in a digital environment before installation, preventing issues like incorrect parts orders or insufficient installation space. 5) Accelerate innovation: Test new machines, workflows, and layouts virtually to assess feasibility and environmental impact, driving faster adoption of smart manufacturing technologies.

A future-ready solution

As manufacturers increasingly turn to smart factory initiatives, the Digital Factory is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing workflows and popular tools. It is interoperable with Building Information Modeling (BIM) applications, Hexagon’s HxGN EAM asset management solutions, and leading CAD software such as AutoCAD and Bentley.

Nicholas Lachaud Bandres, VP of Industry Solutions at Hexagon, highlighted the transformative potential of Digital Factory, stating: "Digital Factory allows manufacturers to bring their physical facilities into a highly accurate virtual environment, enabling them to explore 'what-if' scenarios and optimise plant layouts. This tool makes the digital factory concept more accessible and affordable, giving our customers the competitive edge they need in the age of smart manufacturing."

By leveraging Hexagon’s comprehensive digitalisation ecosystem, manufacturers can future-proof their operations, drive productivity, and reduce costs—ensuring they remain at the forefront of the evolving metalworking industry.

Conclusion

As the demand for smarter, more flexible, and sustainable factories grows, Hexagon’s Digital Factory provides manufacturers with the tools they need to thrive in a competitive market. By enabling efficient collaboration, improving data access, and offering precise virtual modeling of factory spaces, this solution helps manufacturers achieve greater efficiency and stay ahead in an ever-evolving industry.