Architecting Digital Twin-Driven Transformation in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Sector

Abstract

Digital twins are a key pillar of the ongoing industrial revolution requiring a strategy tailored for each sector of the economy. However, contributions addressing the sectoral level of analysis are still nascent in the digital twin literature. This paper has a dual research objective of (1) identifying the digital twin potential at a sectoral level of analysis and (2) investigating whether the existent Enterprise Architectures (EA) approaches and languages meet the requirements for the creation of digital twin architectures. A design science research project was conducted in a leading business association representing the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Sector (RACS). Our findings reveal that RACS digital twins will need to address the grand challenges of climate change and sustainability. Moreover, the digital twin-driven transformation of RACS will be more effective in cooperation between different supply chain segments, increasing the importance of business associations’ role in the definition of reference architectures for their sector. Our results also extend recent research suggesting the use of ArchiMate language for digital twin developments. This contribution is relevant to sectoral digital transformations supported by digital twin technology, providing the foundations for future sectoral enterprise architecture frameworks.