OMRON and Dassault Systèmes have formed a partnership to connect virtual production system design more directly with physical automation deployment, bringing Dassault’s virtual twin technology together with OMRON’s Sysmac automation platform. Announced at Hannover Messe 2026, the collaboration is intended to give manufacturers and machine builders a continuous engineering environment spanning design, simulation, validation, commissioning, and live operation.
The practical target is a familiar weakness in factory engineering. Product design, automation engineering, and production execution are still frequently handled in separate software and organisational silos, which slows commissioning, increases the risk of errors, and limits flexibility once lines are in service. By linking virtual twins with the control systems, robots, and sensors used on the plant floor, OMRON and Dassault are trying to replace that fragmented workflow with a shared digital model that remains useful after equipment is installed.
At the centre of the partnership is the virtual twin of production systems, which allows manufacturers to test robot behaviour, validate line designs, model logistics flow, and assess maintenance or safety scenarios before physical deployment. Once the system is live, real-time operational data can be fed back into the model to compare expected and actual performance, refine settings, and support predictive maintenance. For manufacturers under pressure to speed up line changes while reducing engineering risk, that continuity is likely to carry more value than simulation in isolation.
The partnership also reflects a broader change in manufacturing software strategy. Digitalisation programmes are moving away from isolated modelling tools and toward environments where design data, automation logic, and live production information can be managed as part of the same operational system. OMRON and Dassault are presenting that proposition at Hannover Messe 2026, and its success will rest on whether manufacturers see the virtual twin as a durable production asset rather than a commissioning aid used once and set aside.
