Expanding heavy machinery talks around the globe
with Bosch Digital Twin Industries
As Bosch Business Innovations emerges from grow platform, one of the successful ventures with rapid growth is Bosch Digital Twin Industries. This start-up, which began as an innovation initiative, has quickly expanded into a global leader in digital twin technology, providing smart manufacturing solutions that enhance efficiency, productivity, and profitability for industrial clients worldwide.
Origins and early steps
The idea for Bosch Digital Twin Industries originated internally 2018 in Bangalore, India where a team started exploring how digital twins could drive digital transformation in the industrial sector. "We began by creating small solutions to show customers the value of digital twins," says Prahallad CR, founder and responsible for technology and innovation at Bosch Digital Twin Industries. "Our initial focus was on stand-alone turbomachinery, but as the concept evolved, we are expanding from product twins to application, system, and process twins."
The early stages of development involved rigorous testing and market validation. "We conducted litmus tests in various industrial sectors, delivering proof-of-concept solutions that demonstrated real value to customers," Prahallad explains. These early trials were crucial in building confidence both within Bosch and among potential clients. A decisive step was subsequently taken in 2020 to further develop the innovation project towards a sustainable future. The team became part of the grow platform's funding portfolio with the aim to build up the technology, the business model, the team, and further structures iteratively as a start-up.
Scaling and global expansion
As the digital twin solutions began to prove their worth, the team faced the challenge of scaling the business globally. Hemanth Sheelvant, CEO of Bosch Digital Twin Industries, recalls the strategic steps taken to expand: "Our first milestone was achieving product-market fit with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). We then expanded into key regions like Europe, North America, the Middle East, and India, each presenting unique challenges."
One of the critical factors in scaling the business, according to Nora Kraft, CFO and playing a key role in global operations, was building a strong, trustworthy team. "Scaling a global business requires operational excellence end-to-end—from sales to aftersales care," she notes. "We had to ensure that our processes were seamless and that our team was equipped to handle the complexities of a global market."
Today, Bosch Digital Twin Industries has a significant presence in six regions, with Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas being the most critical for market validation and growth. "We’ve learned to tailor our investments based on regional performance and customer demand, ensuring that we focus our efforts where it creates the most impact," says Hemanth.
Innovative solutions and real-world impact
Bosch Digital Twin Industries’ solutions are designed to optimize the performance of heavy machinery in challenging environments, where manual monitoring is often impractical. "Our digital twin technology allows customers to manage their assets proactively," explains Prahallad. "We provide hybrid models combining AI & Simulations helping customers to predict potential failures, enabling planned maintenance that minimizes downtime and maximizes operational efficiency thus enabling them to operate under optimal cost mode & optimal efficiency mode to address the challenges of changing times."
One notable success story is the collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). "By partnering with HPE, we were able to integrate AI directly into our customers' environments, addressing data residency concerns and enabling scalable, enterprise-grade solutions," says Prahallad. This collaboration exemplifies how Bosch Digital Twin Industries not only develops cutting-edge technology but also adapts it to meet the specific needs of diverse global markets.
Navigating challenges and looking ahead
Expanding globally has not been without its challenges. "Identifying the right customer segments in each region was a major hurdle," admits Prahallad. "Each industry—whether automotive, marine, oil and gas, iron & steal, or chemical—has different performance metrics, and aligning our solutions to these varied needs took significant effort."
Despite these challenges, the future looks promising for Bosch Digital Twin Industries. "We envision our digital twin technology becoming the key driver for smart manufacturing and operations," says Hemanth. "As machines become more intelligent, our goal is to offer digital twins that come ready out-of-the-box—plug and play. This will not only improve operational efficiency but also make it easier for companies to adopt and scale these solutions globally."
Nora adds that the ultimate goal is for Bosch Digital Twin Industries to become the number one go-to partner for digital twin solutions. "We’re at the forefront of something transformative. The evolution from connecting and smartening up existing machinery to having machines that already deliver the necessary data will be a huge leap forward."
The role of grow platform
Reflecting on the role of grow platform in their success, the team strongly believes that the enabling environment was crucial. "grow platform provided us with the flexibility and resources to experiment, fail fast, and learn quickly," says Hemanth. "This environment acted as a catalyst, turning our concepts into reality at an accelerated pace."
In one sentence, Prahallad sums up the impact of the grow platform on their journey: "The grow platform gave us the foundation to innovate boldly, scale rapidly, and transform the future of Energy & Industrial infrastructure."
Talking to machines and transforming their performance
As Bosch Digital Twin Industries continues to expand and evolve, the start-ups journey is evidence to what can be achieved when innovative ideas are nurtured in the right environment, and when bold visions are backed by a global strategy.
