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52 SMT007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2023 Feature Article by Óscar Martins CRITICAL MANUFACTURING It's time to make the ideal of digital transfor- mation a reality. Everyone seems to agree that is the path to manufacturing business success. Yet, not everyone knows how to proceed toward this digital future right now. Hint: Combine the new Industry 4.0 technol- ogies such as digital twin and augmented real- ity (AR) with up-to-date versions of proven soware systems, particularly manufacturing execution systems (MES). Or better yet, find sys- tems that inherently do that for you. en create ways to ensure these digital and virtual systems reflect and fully support your physical and real operations. ere are many new technology approaches to consider in Industry 4.0. Here, we will focus mainly on two: digital twin and augmented real- ity (AR) and point to a third, digital thread, which is more an ideal data flow and approach that ties other technologies together. The Vision: Virtual to Support Real Operations