Colm J. Higgins

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Colm J. Higgins is a researcher at the forefront of digital manufacturing transformation, with a primary focus on bridging the gap between digital twin capabilities and practical cost modeling in factory settings. His most cited work, "Steps towards a Connected Digital Factory Cost Model" (2023), addresses a critical industry challenge: while digital transformation dominates manufacturing discussions, discrete event simulation and cost modeling remain underdeveloped, leaving digital twin potential largely unrealized. Higgins’s research provides a foundational framework for integrating cost analysis into connected factory environments, enabling more accurate lifecycle cost predictions and smarter resource allocation. Although his citation count is currently modest—with his leading paper garnering 2 citations—his work is gaining traction as manufacturers increasingly seek to move beyond theoretical digital twins toward actionable, cost-aware digital models. Higgins’s contributions are particularly notable for their practical orientation, offering engineers and decision-makers a structured path to link simulation outputs directly with financial metrics. As the push for Industry 4.0 accelerates, his research stands as a timely and necessary step toward making digital factory models both connected and economically viable.