882f8abe-2829-4ac0-a46d-9ef00b4344c020250909094149063wseas:wseasmdt@crossref.orgMDT DepositInternational Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science2769-250710.37394/232027https://wseas.com/journals/eeacs/index.php22420252242025710.37394/232027.2025.7https://wseas.com/journals/eeacs/2025.phpKlaountioMitaDepartment of Industrial Design & Production Engineering University of West Attica Olive Grove Campus, 12241 Egaleo GREECEIoannisGiachosDepartment of Industrial Design & Production Engineering University of West Attica Olive Grove Campus, 12241 Egaleo GREECEEvangelos C.PapakitsosDepartment of Industrial Design & Production Engineering University of West Attica Olive Grove Campus, 12241 Egaleo GREECEMichailPapoutsidakisDepartment of Industrial Design & Production Engineering University of West Attica Olive Grove Campus, 12241 Egaleo GREECENikolaosLaskarisDepartment of Industrial Design & Production Engineering University of West Attica Olive Grove Campus, 12241 Egaleo GREECEChristosDrososDepartment of Industrial Design & Production Engineering University of West Attica Olive Grove Campus, 12241 Egaleo GREECEThis study analyzes the new use of digital twins technology in programmable logic controllers (PLC) within the scope of industrial automation. The goal of this work is to show the possibilities of applying digital twins in conjunction with PLCs for industrial purposes. The integration of digital twins with PLCs may provide substantial benefits in operational efficiency, predictive maintenance, process optimization, and innovation across various sectors. Following the methodology of bibliographic survey, which is rather limited due to the novelty of the topic, several examples have been spotted. Through these examples, the impact of digital twins on production optimization, maintenance, monitoring, remote operation, and virtual commissioning are examined. The case examples also address challenges related to guaranteeing the quality of data constraining scalability, and issues of security in the implementation of digital twins and PLCs. The paper explores future directions, such as advanced analytics, IoT applications, virtual reality, and standardized interface metrology. The development of digital twins in regards to PLCs has enormous potential and can help organizations to become more efficient, optimized, and competitive in industrial automation. Embracing this technology provides new opportunities for organizational operations and drives improvement on a continuous basis.99202599202512513513https://wseas.com/journals/eeacs/2025/a26eeacs-011(2025).pdf10.37394/232027.2025.7.13https://wseas.com/journals/eeacs/2025/a26eeacs-011(2025).pdf10.1016/j.procs.2022.01.269Thürer M., Li S. and Qu T., Digital Twin Architecture for Production Logistics: The Critical Role of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), in Proc. 3rd International Conference on Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing (ISM 2021), Linz, Austria, 2021, pp. 710-717. 10.1016/j.smse.2023.100017Soori M., Arezoo B. and Dastres R., Digital twin for smart manufacturing - A review, Sustainable Manufacturing and Service Economics, Vol. 2, 2023, 100017. 10.1016/j.technovation.2023.102795Rantala T., Ukko J., Nasiri M. and Saunila M., Shifting focus of value creation through industrial digital twins - From internal application to ecosystem level utilization, Technovation, Vol. 125, 2023, 102795. 10.1016/j.aei.2023.101915Jia W. and Zhang Z., From simple digital twin to complex digital twin part II: Multi scenario applications of digital twin shop floor, Advanced Engineering Informatics, Vol. 56, 2023, 101915. 10.1016/j.rser.2016.01.025Alphonsus E. 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C., Pignaton de Freitas E. and Wagner F., A study on the performance impact of programmable logic controllers based on enhanced architecture and organization, Microprocessors and Microsystems, Vol. 76, 2020, 103082. 10.3390/s23104977Balla M., Haffner O., Kučera E. and Cigánek J., Educational Case Studies: Creating a Digital Twin of the Production Line in TIA Portal, Unity, and Game4Automation Framework, Sensors, Vol. 23, 2023, 4977. 10.1016/j.cie.2023.109363Paiva Knebel F., Trevisan R., Santana do Nascimento G, Abel M. and Araujo Wickboldt J., A study on cloud and edge computing for the implementation of digital twins in the Oil & Gas industries, Computers & Industrial Engineering, Vol. 182, 2023, 109363. Giachos I., Paschaliori C., Papakitsos E.C., Drosos C. and Laskaris N., Robotic Sequencing for Intelligent Mission Management, WSEAS Transactions on Information Science and Applications, Vol. 22, pp.440-449. https://doi.org/10.37394/23209.2025.22.36