Advanced Manufacturing
Fewer experienced
operators every year.
The people who knew the machines are retiring, the machines are getting harder, and ramp is getting longer. Monarch lets a new hire run the workflow in a browser before they run it on the floor.
Powered by Digital Product Twins
The machine, in a browser.
A Digital Product Twin is an interactive, browser-based replica of a real product, system or workflow, built so people can practice operating it before they touch the physical thing. Someone works through the actual process on the actual interface, and the physical equipment stays in production the whole time.
The squeeze
The workforce gap is getting wider
Teams are being asked to do more with fewer experienced operators, and three things are true at once.
- New hires have to be useful sooner than they used to be.
- The experienced workers do not have time to train them.
- The machines are needed for production.
Reading about a machine does not prepare anyone to run one.
On the floor, a new operator has to
Learn fast
Work precisely
Contribute without stopping the line
Let them practice before the floor
A Digital Product Twin is a browser-based replica of your system. A new hire can run the real sequence on it, get it wrong, and run it again, without taking a machine out of production.
What that makes possible:
Train before day one
People arrive having already run the workflow, not having read about it.
Practice without touching the line
No machine occupied, no production interrupted, no scrap.
Repeat until it sticks
The same sequence, as many times as it takes, until the hands know it.
Where to start
Pick one workflow and one group of new hires. We will build that, and you can judge it on how they do.
Talk to us
Go deeper
Related reading
How this works in practice, and why we built it this way.
- Case studyBuilding the next generation of Appalachian investorsA 10-week microcredential with the Roberts Impact Investing Fund and the Ford Foundation.
- ArticleWhy readiness is the real growth strategyAlison Gerlach on why innovation stalls in the space between launch and adoption.
- ArticleWhy we're called MonarchEvery monarch butterfly looks identical, and that consistency is what protects them.
- AnnouncementMonarch Learning Labs closes seed financingA seed round led by M&S Ventures with the West Virginia High Technology Foundation.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What manufacturing teams ask before they commit to a build.
What is a Digital Product Twin?
A Digital Product Twin is an interactive, browser-based replica of a real product, system, or workflow, built so people can practice operating it before they touch the physical thing. Users move through the actual interface, make real decisions, and see the consequences play out. Monarch Learning Labs builds Digital Product Twins for medical device and advanced manufacturing organizations, where access to physical systems is limited by cost, travel, scheduling, and risk.
Can new hires train without taking a machine off production?
Yes. That is the core reason a practice layer exists. Because the Digital Product Twin is a browser-based replica of the system, new hires can rehearse real workflows without occupying equipment, interrupting a production run, or waiting for an experienced operator to be free to supervise them.
How is this different from training videos or an LMS course?
Videos and courses deliver exposure. A Digital Product Twin delivers practice. Instead of watching someone else operate a system, a learner operates it themselves, repeats the workflow as many times as they need, and gets feedback on the decisions they made. Monarch is designed to sit alongside an existing LMS, content library, and SOPs rather than replace them, adding a practice layer to the training already in place.
Do teams need a VR headset or special hardware?
No. Monarch’s Digital Product Twins run in a standard web browser. A learner needs a screen and an internet connection, not a headset, a simulator rig, or access to the physical system. That is what makes repetition practical: teams can practice from anywhere, on demand, without booking equipment or traveling to it.
What kinds of systems can be replicated?
Monarch builds twins of the products, systems, and workflows its clients operate, surgical robotics and CNC machining among them. What is replicated is the interface and the process a person works through, so the deciding factor is whether there is a workflow a human needs to learn, not the size or category of the machine.
How is a Digital Product Twin different from an engineering digital twin?
An engineering digital twin mirrors a physical asset’s live sensor data to monitor performance and predict maintenance. A Digital Product Twin has a different job: it exists to build human capability. It replicates the interface and workflow a person actually operates, so teams can rehearse decisions and build familiarity. One is about the health of the machine; the other is about the readiness of the people using it.