Industrial digitisation
starts with the physical assets
Industrial digitisation turns an already built plant into a digital model true to its physical reality: every asset — structure, equipment, pipe, installation — reconstructed in three dimensions and connected to its data, so that information stops living in scattered, outdated drawings and moves to a single, measurable, up-to-date source.
Entry by area: from ~€6,000 (estimated); maintained twin, from ~€400/month (estimated) →
Before investing: the distinction that decides the order — physical assets and processes ↓
Asset digitisation and process digitisation: two layers
When people talk about industrial digitisation they almost always think of sensors, production data and dashboards. It is a real layer, and it rests on a more basic one: knowing precisely what is built and where.
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Industrial process digitisation Operating data
This is what is associated with Industry 4.0: sensors, IoT, MES and SCADA that capture production, consumption and machinery status in real time and feed them into dashboards. It answers how the plant is working right now.
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Physical asset digitisation · the base What is built and where
It is the plant’s real geometry and the data of each element: structures, equipment, pipes and building services reconstructed as an as-built BIM model true to what exists. It answers what is actually installed, and it is the layer on which everything else rests.
The reason for starting with the physical layer is simple: a data layer built on drawings that no longer match the plant inherits that error. Predictive maintenance that mislocates a piece of equipment, or an extension planned on dimensions that do not add up, carries the same problem from the outset. Process digitisation pays off when it rests on measured reality.
That is why, in a plant that has been running for years, digitising properly means first reconstructing its physical assets — what at A3D we call reverse engineering of the installation — and only then connecting the operating layers on top. It is also the difference between doing BIM on a new project and capturing an existing plant in BIM.
Industrial digitisation has two layers: processes (operating data, IoT, Industry 4.0) and physical assets (what is built and where). The process layer rests on the physical one; that is why the sensible order starts with the assets.
This is the work we do every day: reconstructing the faithful physical layer of a plant that is already running. If you want us to look at it on yours, the first step is to tell us what intervention you have coming up.
Where to start digitising a plant
Digitising a factory in 3D works as an ordered sequence: each phase leaves a deliverable that is useful on its own. This is the order A3D works in.
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1
Measure the real condition with a laser scanner
The plant is captured as it is today, producing a point cloud: a metric replica of the installation, with every pipe and every piece of equipment in its real position. It is the starting truth, measurable from day one, including geometry that appears on no drawing.
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2
Reconstruct the assets as an as-built BIM model
The as-built BIM model is built on the point cloud: each asset is recognised as an object with its data — material, dimensions, system — and checked against the existing documentation and the people who know the plant. Drawing digitisation stops being a collection of files and becomes a model you can query.
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3
Keep the model up to date as a digital twin
A plant changes: equipment, pipes, lines. The digital twin is that model kept up to date as the installation is modified, so that it stays true to reality and works as a single source for those who work on the plant.
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4
Build the operating layers on top
With that faithful base, process digitisation pays off: maintenance is connected to the model, asset management locates each piece of equipment and its documentation, and the operating systems (CMMS, sensors, dashboards) rest on the measured plant.
Digitising a plant starts by measuring its physical assets with a laser scanner, reconstructing its as-built BIM model and keeping it up to date. The process and maintenance layers then rest on that faithful base.
You do not have to start with the whole plant. You start with the area you are going to intervene on first, with a fixed scope and price, and grow in phases. If you want us to define that first scope on your installation, we will work it out with you.
What return to expect from digitising your plant
Whoever searches for industrial digitisation usually has a real decision on the table: extending a line, a retrofit, a technical shutdown, an audit. The right question is what the investment returns.
The return comes, above all, from what you stop spending. Measuring against reality costs far less than correcting a wrong assumption on site: a deviation detected in the model is resolved on screen; the same deviation with the crane already in place is paid for in shutdown hours. Deciding on an extension or an equipment change on a measured plant avoids the unforeseen events that blow up schedules and budgets.
On top of that saving comes an asset that does not expire: faithful documentation that outlasts the handover of veteran staff. Knowledge of what is installed stops living only in the head of someone who has been in the plant for decades and moves to a model that any engineering firm or supplier can consult.
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~€6,000
from, per area (estimated)Entry to the digitisation of an area: laser scanning and as-built BIM model, with a phased budget.
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~€400/month
from (estimated)Keeping the model up to date as a digital twin, so that it stays true to the plant as it changes.
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2.5–3.5×
estimated returnOrder of magnitude of the return on investment (estimated), depending on the scope and the use made of the model.
The return on digitising a plant comes from avoiding deviations and shutdowns: deciding on measured reality costs less than correcting a wrong assumption. Entry from ~€6,000 (estimated) per area; estimated return in the order of 2.5–3.5 times the investment (estimated).
Putting numbers on your case is part of the work. Based on the scope of your plant we tell you what it costs, what you receive and in what order it makes sense to do it. Start by seeing the entry price or by assessing your plant.
Frequently asked questions about industrial digitisation
Detailed answers to the most common searches about “industrial digitisation”, from the point of view of the person who has to decide.
What is industrial digitisation?
Industrial digitisation is turning a physical plant into reliable digital information to make decisions about it. In an already built installation it consists of measuring its real assets with a laser scanner and reconstructing a three-dimensional as-built model — structures, equipment, pipes — connected to the data of each element, so that the documentation stops being scattered across outdated drawings and moves to a single, measurable, up-to-date source. The process layers then rest on that base: maintenance, asset management and Industry 4.0.
Where do you start digitising an industrial plant?
You start with the physical assets: knowing exactly what is built and where. The first step is to scan the real condition with a 3D laser scanner to obtain a point cloud — a metric replica of the plant; on it the as-built BIM model is reconstructed, with each asset recognised as an object with its data; and that model is kept up to date as a digital twin. With that faithful base, any process layer (CMMS, sensors, dashboards) rests on measured reality and not on assumptions.
Is digitising assets the same as digitising processes (Industry 4.0 / IoT)?
They are two distinct, complementary layers. The digitisation of industrial processes — Industry 4.0, IoT, MES, SCADA — captures operating data in real time: production, consumption, machinery status. The digitisation of physical assets captures what is built and its real geometry. The second is the foundation of the first: a dashboard or predictive maintenance built on drawings that no longer match the plant inherits that error. That is why it is best to start with the assets.
What return can you expect from digitising an industrial plant?
The return comes in two ways: fewer deviations on site — measuring against reality costs far less than correcting a wrong assumption already built — and fewer unforeseen shutdowns when planning an extension, a retrofit or a technical shutdown on faithful information. On top of that comes documentation that outlasts the handover of veteran staff. In A3D projects the estimated return is around 2.5–3.5 times the investment (estimated), depending on the scope and the use made of the model.
How much does it cost to start?
Entry to the industrial digitisation of an area — laser scanning and as-built BIM model — starts from ~€6,000 (estimated), and the budget is set out in phases so you start with what you are going to intervene on first. Keeping the model up to date as a digital twin starts from ~€400/month (estimated). You will find the detail on the pricing page and in the guide to how much it costs to scan a plant.
Is industrial digitisation useful for maintenance?
Yes. An up-to-date as-built model is the geometric database for maintenance: it lets you locate each item of equipment and its documentation, plan interventions on the real plant and connect the model to the computerised maintenance management system (CMMS). The BIM model provides the faithful physical layer on which maintenance relies, and it is kept up to date as the plant changes.
And yours, where would it start?
Tell us about your plant: an A3D specialist tells you in 15 minutes where to start, which area to survey first and with what scope.
Prefer the detail? See how much it costs to scan a plant, review the two layers of digitisation or open a real case you can navigate.