Improved Logistics with Digital Twin
Emulate3D™ enables logistics solution provider Jungheinrich to create digital twins of its logistics production lines and unlock new value in the Chinese market
At a glance
Jungheinrich Forklift (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. is part of the Jungheinrich Group from Hamburg, Germany. Since 1953, the brand has been providing forklift handling equipment to customers in the industrial field. It is a leader in industrial vehicles, warehousing technology, and intralogistics.
Company Overview
The Shanghai business belongs to Germany's Jungheinrich Group, a supplier of industrial vehicles and warehouse technologies.
Business Challenge
Jungheinrich Forklift Shanghai, part of the German Jungheinrich Group (supplying industrial forklifts and logistics tech since 1953), which found that its project planning process relied too heavily on "paper talk" — plans and data analysis that couldn't reveal real bottlenecks until a project was actually implemented. To close that gap, the company adopted Emulate3D digital twin software to test and validate solutions before physical rollout.
Company background
Jungheinrich Forklift (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. is part of the Germany-headquartered Jungheinrich Group, supplying forklift handling equipment and logistics technology to industrial customers since 1953.
The planning gap
Technical manager Shi Ruohong noted that planned solutions were often ‘paper talk’ — data analysis happened on paper, but real bottlenecks and optimization opportunities only surfaced once a project was actually implemented.
Root problem identified
The team recognized this as a place to improve: catching design flaws and inefficiencies before committing to physical implementation.
The solution: Emulate3D
Jungheinrich adopted Emulate3D digital twin software to simulate and validate project plans virtually before real-world rollout.
Emulate3D - Breaking Through Bottlenecks with Virtual Simulation
Emulate3D's focus on high-fidelity industrial animation, simulation, and control provided a comprehensive solution. The platform allowed Jungheinrich to create a digital twin of the entire lifecycle of a project from design to implementation, bridging the gap between virtual and real-world scenarios. This breakthrough enabled the team to detect potential bottlenecks, optimize project plans, and accurately predict control system sequences.
Emulate3D's digital design approach can greatly improve the efficiency and accuracy of design, while shortening design time, helping users increase project success rate, improve productivity, and reduce costs.
Emulate3D's dynamic display capabilities were leveraged not only for project implementation but also for creating impressive 3D dynamic case demonstration videos for events like CIIE, an important showcase for Jungheinrich in China. The software's user-friendly interface, combined with a powerful simulation engine, facilitated easy modeling and in-depth development, addressing the team's need for both simplicity and scalability.
Shi shared that with the Emulate3D software's powerful simulation capabilities and 3D visual expression, the team was able to bring to life the complete equipment applied in each point of the project, and the dynamic effects of various application scenarios from storage to picking to handling.
Business Outcome
Emulate3D's product library includes standard automation components that closely mirror real products in shape and behavior, letting most modeling be done via drag-and-drop. For advanced users, a toolbox of extension functions supports deeper custom development.
Jungheinrich plans to extend Emulate3D into virtual debugging and 3D visualization, building a simulated digital SCADA system that mirrors on-site operations. It also aims to extend the platform into after-sales support through a VR/AR-based remote assistance solution for customers' operations and maintenance staff.
Less experienced team members can get up to speed quickly, while experienced developers can build complex custom functionality — letting Jungheinrich flex its team configuration to match project complexity and improve overall efficiency.
Moves Jungheinrich beyond meeting customers' shift from 2D to 3D visualization expectations, and opens a new after-sales service model with real-time remote support — positioning the company for continued innovation and expanded value creation in smart logistics.
Key Benefits
| Benefit Area | Impact |
|---|---|
| Focus | High-fidelity industrial animation, simulation and control. |
| Helped in bridging the gap between idea and execution | Allowed Jungheinrich to create a digital twin of the entire lifecycle of a project from design to implementation, bridging the gap between virtual and real-world scenarios. |
| Detection of potential bottlenecks in process | Detect potential bottlenecks, optimize project plans, and accurately predict control system sequences |
| Efficiency and accuracy | Improve the efficiency and accuracy of design, while shortening design time, helping users increase project success rate, improve productivity, and reduce costs |
| Simplicity and Scalability | Facilitated easy modeling and in-depth development, addressing the team's need for both simplicity and scalability. |