Digital Thread for services: a conceptual clarification and framework for a Digital Twin service-oriented

The technologies of Industry 4.0 are gaining increasing prominence as fundamental pillars of digital enterprises. These technologies have demonstrated their effectiveness and earned recognition across diverse sectors. Consequently, research efforts are intensifying to clarify the emerging concepts associated with these technologies. However, these concepts are still used ambiguously. This article aims to address these issues by firstly highlighting and distinguishing the concept of Digital Thread. It proposes a definition while also positioning other concepts such as System Model, Digital Mock-Up, and Digital Twin. Secondly, the article focuses on the development of the Digital Thread concept within the context of services, acknowledging the inherent need for servitization. This need exists regardless of the type or nature of the service being engineered, provided, consumed, maintained, or continuously improved. Surprisingly, servitization often goes overlooked by industries, despite its crucial role in the core concerns of complex systems’ development. Finally, this paper introduces a conceptual and methodological framework for deploying the Digital Thread concept, specifically targeting service engineering and management. This framework is defined as Digital Thread for Services (DTH4S). It is illustrated through an ILSS use case presented as an illustrative instantiation of the proposed approach