Inexperienced staff are not the problem — lack of training environments is

In many automation projects, the same pattern repeatedly emerges: New employees, junior technicians, or career starters are expected to quickly familiarize themselves with processes, workflows, and system logic, but they have hardly any suitable environment for this. Learning then takes place directly on the actual system, which usually happens under time pressure during ongoing operations and often with little room for repetition or errors.

This is problematic in practice. Those who learn exclusively on productive hardware risk downtimes, unnecessary troubleshooting, loss of time, and in the worst case, even damage to the system. The result is often an onboarding process that is neither efficient nor predictable.

The cause is usually not a lack of qualification or motivation. Often, there is simply no training environment where processes can be taught safely, structured, and reproducibly.

This is precisely where training and validation twins come in. They create a realistic yet controlled environment in which typical processes, malfunctions, and logical connections can be trained and tested without interfering with production or risking real hardware.

Such a twin not only enables training but also diagnosis, testing, and preparatory commissioning under reproducible conditions. Learners can build process understanding, comprehend fault patterns, and safely experience system responses. At the same time, companies gain an environment where knowledge can be systematically imparted, instead of just being passed on situationally in day-to-day project work.

Especially in industrial automation, this is a decisive advantage: training moves from a risky side-show to a planned component of qualification.

Together with our partner Conwex GmbH, we have developed a NexaTwin training twin of a measuring system. The goal was to provide an application that can be used to realistically simulate, test, and train typical functions of a conveying and handling system.

For this purpose, the twin digitally maps central components of such a system, including conveyor technology, axes, sensors, pneumatic elements, and gripper functions. The model is supplemented by a PLC interface via PLCSIM Advanced, so that coupling to typical PLC structures can also be implemented in a practical manner.

The Conwex twin is now available in two versions on the NexaSwift Marketplace. The first version is a free preview twin, which is particularly suitable for a quick technology check as well as for performance and system tests. The second version is the Unlimited version as a training twin. It is designed for practical training, diagnostics, and virtual commissioning and includes PLC connectivity.

Thus, depending on the objective, either a low-threshold entry or a full-fledged training environment is available.

The concrete added value of a training twin is particularly evident when learning is not only theoretical, but takes place based on real process flows. Users can train typical PLC functions under practical conditions and understand how signals, states, and interlocks react together.

Related processes from conveying technology, handling, and peripherals can also be mapped consistently in the model. This includes, for example, release chains, jam and interlock logics, pneumatic stoppers and cylinders, or gripping functions within a handling process. This gives learners a significantly better understanding of processes, dependencies, and causes of errors.

Furthermore, the twin is suitable for tasks in drive technology and in dealing with technology objects. Releases, axis logics, and typical error reactions can be practiced in an environment that simulates real project conditions without creating real risks.

Another important aspect is diagnostics. Typical error patterns, such as those in sensor technology, releases, or drive communication, can be specifically generated, detected, and remedied. Functions such as workpiece carrier tracking via RFID can also be trained comprehensibly. This makes the twin relevant not only for training but also for testing and validation tasks.

For companies, the main advantages are predictability and cost-effectiveness. Training in a virtual environment is often significantly more efficient than training on real hardware. Systems do not have to be blocked, productive processes remain undisturbed, and training measures can be prepared and carried out independently of project phases.

At the same time, the risk that onboarding under time pressure leads to avoidable errors, rework, or unnecessary delays is reduced. Knowledge can be conveyed systematically instead of being passed on only sporadically during project operations. This accelerates the qualification of new employees and creates more confidence in dealing with typical automation tasks.

This is a significant lever, especially for companies that want to systematically develop young professionals or quickly integrate junior staff into demanding technical environments.

Inexperienced personnel are rarely the actual problem. What is crucial is whether an environment exists in which learning can meaningfully take place. If training can only occur directly on the real plant, pressure, uncertainty, and unnecessary risks are almost inevitable.

A training twin shifts this learning process into a safe, reproducible, and technically robust environment. This is precisely where its value lies: it creates better conditions for qualification, diagnosis, and testing while simultaneously relieving the burden on real operations.

With the twin developed jointly with Conwex, a concrete solution is now available that can be directly integrated into training and testing contexts.