Industrial capital projects operate under tighter margins, higher safety expectations and constant schedule pressure. Execution teams respond by integrating live data environments and simulation tools with structured work packaging to keep engineering, construction and operations aligned, while AUTOMA 2026 examines these strategies through practical case discussions and peer exchange.
Industry data reflects this transition. Global Market Insights values the digital twin sector at USD 13.6 billion in 2024, with further expansion driven by industrial IoT, simulation platforms and advanced analytics. Research and Markets reports continued growth from 2024 to 2025, confirming the acceleration of real-time modeling and operational synchronization in capital-intensive industries.
At project level, academic research increasingly links digital environments with structured delivery frameworks. A 2025 study in Frontiers in Built Environment, analyzing data from 2015-2023, associates Advanced Work Packaging and WorkFace Planning with more stable and predictable direct-work rates. A complementary 2025 study in Applied Sciences shows that AWP-based schedules improve traceability, strengthen package clarity and support recovery from engineering delays through structured segmentation and controlled release.
The convergence of live plant intelligence and disciplined execution practices defines the agenda at AUTOMA 2026 on 5-6 October 2026 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The digital twins in action track brings together perspectives that move from enterprise connectivity to applied execution, including insights from Bernd Kalusche, Director Vertical Management Energy at Siemens AG, and Gareth Webb, Vice President for EMEA Customer Engagement at eQ Technologic, both addressing the technological foundations required to connect data, manufacturing environments and digital twin ecosystems at scale.
Within this context, Antonio Schiavone, Head of Construction Home Office Department at Tecnimont SpA, presents AWP and Real time Sync for better control, explaining how teams keep structured work packages aligned with facilities that evolve continuously during construction tie-ins and commissioning.
By connecting AWP with a real time plant model and simulation layer, the approach establishes a closed loop between field signals, asset representation and work orchestration.
In practice, this logic is already visible in large scale industrial projects. At the Pennsylvania Chemicals complex, Shell uses drones to capture construction progress and generate accurate 3D site models, giving teams a real time overview of execution status and upcoming activities.
Building on that foundation, Shell further describes a dynamic digital twin as a virtual representation that combines live operational data, visualization and simulation to support monitoring and predictive analysis across assets. In other words, the digital model evolves alongside the physical plant, enabling validation of decisions against current conditions.
A similar integration can be seen on the EPC delivery side. JGC embeds its Project Digital Twin into an AWP and data centric execution framework, linking model data directly with planning and control processes. This connection brings engineering status, construction sequencing and asset data into a single coordinated environment.
Taken together, these cases demonstrate a clear progression from digital visibility to structured execution control, where real time models, event driven updates and performance indicators support disciplined sequencing, reduced rework and stronger safety oversight.
The same feedback structure enhances asset visibility during handover. When model data, site inputs and package history remain synchronized, teams retain accurate insight into installation status, validation milestones and readiness for subsequent phases, contributing to more stable commissioning and start-up performance.
This integration logic, extending from construction execution to commissioning readiness, reflects the broader strategic context in which industrial digitalization is discussed today. In this light, AUTOMA 2026 expands the agenda beyond technical sessions to include executive roundtables and leadership dialogues. The Congress opens with an Executive Opening Panel focused on engineering the digital future through innovation, talent development and decarbonization, setting the strategic tone for the event. It also hosts a Keynote Leaders Panel on smart decarbonization with digital power and a Leaders Talk on AI-powered transformation in energy and governance, both led by senior managers and C-level speakers. These discussions attract asset owners, project directors and digital transformation heads shaping strategy and investment in industrial data, automation and simulation-driven control.
Against this backdrop, AUTOMA 2026 aligns integrated data models, structured delivery frameworks and senior leadership oversight to reinforce certainty across complex industrial projects.
Secure your participation and take part in the discussion shaping real-time intelligent execution: https://sh.bgs.group/4in
