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52 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2021 being simply the user of my digital twin. I sim- ply want it to do the work for me, and just give me answers. Engineers and managers on the manufacturing shop floor will find their decisions augmented using the manufactur- ing digital twin, providing relief from having to do all the data gathering, formatting, and mind-numbing analysis manually, resulting instead in a clear vision of what will happen, should nothing be done, or perhaps if one of two things were to change—such as the intro- duction of a new product, material availability issues, or customer demand rates fluctuate. Put away the abacus, notebook, calculator, Excel spreadsheet, or whatever tools that you have historically chosen to number-crunch and turn to the excellent digital twin solutions that exist within the modern IIoT-based MES solution. As soware developers, we do the work, coding in the rules and methods, defin- ing best practices, creating the ontology that turns data into actionable value. To create my personal digital twin would require far more work than I am prepared to put in, but when it comes to manufacturing soware, there is an army of developers that have created and con- tinue to evolve a singular solution applicable to all manufacturing environments, bringing true smart Industry 4.0 manufacturing for every- one. If you are interested in exploring how a digi- tal twin can benefit your factory, you can learn more here. SMT007 Michael Ford is the senior director of emerging industry strategy for Aegis Software. To read past columns or contact Ford, click here. New Online Training Programs Enhance Delivery Options Nolan Johnson Interviews Jahr Turchan From Blackfox Jahr Turchan, Blackfox's Director of Veteran Services & Advanced Manufacturing Programs, discusses how technical training programs pivoted in 2020 and how customers responded to their training needs throughout the year.