John Deere’s decision is timely considering the multiple headwinds that the manufacturing sector, as well as the industrial world at large, is facing.

First, the world is facing food shortages because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which in peaceful times is referred to as the breadbasket of Europe. Ukraine is a leading producer of many types of vegetables and grains. The collapse of Ukraine’s agricultural sector has turned it from a net exporter to a net importer. This has caused the price of foodstuff to spike in the Middle East, East Asia, and North Africa, regions most dependent on Ukrainian exports.

In addition, because Russia is the world’s number 1 exporter of fertilizer, global sanctions on Russia will affect the ability of other major agricultural producers, such as Brazil and China, to maintain their productivity.

To step up and fill the gap, other agriculture-exporting countries need to produce more food and make every step in the process—that is, planting, weeding, fertilizer application and harvesting—more efficient with better machinery.

Occurring in parallel to the imminent food shortage is the reorganization of the global supply chain. As factories in U.S. reshore, they face the labor shortage and rising labor costs caused by the massive retirement of baby boomers. The manufacturing sector itself needs to become more productive and cost-effective.

The application of digital twin technology to manufacturing will be an effective solution to these crises.

A digital twin platform can create digital replicas of manufacturing plants so that managers can track progress, plan for site changes, troubleshoot, and collaborate remotely.

The spatial data platform of Matterport has transformed millions of buildings in more than 177 countries into data, making space more valuable and accessible. Similarly, using Matterport’s Pro2 and Pro3 cameras to capture spatially accurate information, John Deere will be able to employ digital twins of facilities at 4K resolution, enabling the optimization of operations.

Using Matterport’s digital twin platform, John Deere employees can remotely track their facility’s assets and materials, monitor vehicles, and integrate real-time Internet of Things (IoT) data streams. In addition, John Deere’s teams can collaborate in real time within the digital twin to improve productivity without spending time and resources on on-site visits.

John Deere plans to use Matterport’s technology to build a virtual Operations Center, which will be the virtual twin of John Deere’s manufacturing facilities, for remote management of over 60 facilities across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

“We’re proud to support John Deere on their journey to reinvent manufacturing operations,” said Jay Remley, Matterport’s chief revenue officer. “For global businesses with facilities spread across several regions and time zones, the ability to remotely optimize each space based on its own unique parameters is a critical unlock for operations management. Our digital twin platform enables companies to reap real productivity gains and cost savings by digitizing their operations for more efficient maintenance, remote monitoring, and improved decision-making.”

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