Team effort and collaboration: Prof. Rangith Baby Kuriakose, Associate Professor, and Siphiwe Mkhwanazi, Lecturer Assistant and Research Scholar in the Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Computer Systems Engineering, have partnered with Opti-Num Solutions to pioneer a future where simulation, AI, and smart technologies drive innovation and deliver research-based solutions.

CUT continues to think beyond by advancing research in smart manufacturing. At the heart of this innovation is the full-scale water bottling plant, originally conceived in 2018 and now serving as a foundation for cutting-edge research and postgraduate training.

Under the tutelage of Prof. Rangith Baby Kuriakose, Associate Professor at CUT, and his team, and in partnership with Opti-Num Solutions, the official vendor of MathWorks tools in Southern Africa, CUT has developed a digital twin of the plant. This live, virtual copy of the physical system, continuously updated by sensor data, creates a safe and extendable research environment where advanced control strategies can be explored. Students and researchers can now compare traditional PLC control, event-driven Stateflow logic, and AI-based reinforcement learning, all without disrupting real-world operations.

In his comments, Prof. Rangith Baby Kuriakose said “digital twins are a powerful way to innovate while offering safe, cost-effective experimentation. It also enables industries to predict failures, optimize performance, and build smarter systems.”

A project plan and a scaled-down 3D model of the water bottling plant were first developed, laying the foundation for future research. Building on this plan, a small-scale version of the plant was physically constructed as part of Prof. Kuriakose’s Doctoral project.

Since then, the platform has grown into a significant academic resource, with over 15 DHET accredited publications and five postgraduate students successfully completing their research on topics such as communication architectures, digital twin development, human–machine collaboration, Blockchain technology and 5G technology incorporation.

“Looking ahead, the solutions being developed are tailored for small and medium industries in Bloemfontein, Welkom, and across the Free State, empowering them to transition into Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 practices,” he added.

Together with Opti-Num Solutions, Prof. Baby and his team are pioneering a future where simulation, AI, and smart technologies transform how we teach, test, and apply innovation bridging the academia and industry gaps and reinforcing CUT’s role as a hub for human-centred, research-driven solutions.