Q&A: InnovMetric on the importance of a digital thread

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At the end of April, InnovMetric hosted its PolyWorks Conference Live 2025 event. The company discussed its PolyWorks Digital Thread solution for dimensional inspection, and revealed six new key functionalities of PolyWorks|Inspector. Following the PolyWorks Conference Live 2025, Manufacturing Quality sat down with Marc Soucy, PhD, President and Co-Founder of InnovMetric to discuss the lessons the company has learned as it celebrates its 30th anniversary, the opportunities and challenges associated with a digital thread, and areas of future innovation for PolyWorks Digital Thread and PolyWorks|Inspector. 

The benefits of adopting a digital thread 

Quality control teams are in charge of producing crucial information for many departments within manufacturing, such as inspection projects, dimensional inspection reports, and 3D measurement results. Often delivered through manual file exports and copies, this information may cause issues like ensuring a single source of truth and protecting sensitive data from human error and inconsistencies. 

Instead, companies can investigate adopting digital thread technologies, which allow 3D measurement data to be delivered digitally to all stakeholders within the organisation. A digital thread works to combine multiple software applications to create an interconnected space that allows data to flow digitally. To deploy a digital thread for 3D measurements, a universal metrology software platform, data management on a central server, and digital connectors are required. The PolyWorks Digital Thread can be seen demonstrating this below:

If you wish to learn how the PolyWorks Digital Thread works, and the key benefits of adopting the solution, you can catch up on the keynote presentation of the PolyWorks Conference Live 2025 which delves into these topics further. 

Follow-up Q&A with Marc Soucy

RT: What are the key lessons InnovMetric has learnt in its 30 years of supporting manufacturers and their quality control processes? 

MS: For over 15 years, our relentless focus on advancing point cloud technology and enhancing our PolyWorks universal metrology software platform has driven us to deliver innovative tools, improved user-friendliness, and superior performance—consistently meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations. However, maintaining the same pace of innovation is increasingly challenging without conducting a thorough analysis of the entire inspection process, both upstream and downstream of metrology. Issues relating to data sharing, traceability, and performance, were uncovered, all stemming from manual file transfers. We are convinced that deploying a digital thread for dimensional inspection is the key for manufacturing organisations to fully unlock the potential of their 3D measurement technologies. 

RT: Manually triggered file exchange can lead to the sharing of out-of-date or incomplete information, resulting in errors, time loss, and process inefficiencies. The digital thread is a clear solution to this issue, but does it represent any new challenges?  

MS: The involvement of IT teams is essential for centralised data management when implementing a digital thread. This may pose challenges for organisations with complex tech environments, but the benefits are substantial. Additionally, a digital thread optimises collaboration by breaking down silos between departments and transforming processes, however, there may be resistance to change. To overcome these hurdles, actively involving and educating colleagues from all departments who will benefit from the digital thread is crucial. 

RT: Adopting the digital thread solution will eliminate manual file exchanges. But could there be a setting where manual exchanges may need to occur? Perhaps due to technological errors?  

MS: Occasionally, manual file transfers may still be necessary to input data into PolyWorks. For example, if a data management server has been implemented but lacks a digital connector required for an enterprise’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system, CAD models will need to be imported manually to prepare inspection projects. Similarly, when using a third-party metrology software to measure with a CMM or a robot-based automated scanning solution, the measurements will have to be exported on disk before importing them into PolyWorks. 

RT: Aside from timesaving, are there any other key benefits of adopting a digital thread?  

MS: Dimensional inspection data is valuable because it is actionable. The insightful feedback derived from measurements underpins important decisions that impact multiple facets of engineering and manufacturing processes. Ensuring the accuracy of this data is thus instrumental for reliable decision-making. The most effective way to achieve this is by deploying a digital thread for dimensional inspection that: 

  • Stores the dimensional inspection information obtained from all measurements for as long as needed. 
  • Guarantees a single source of truth by delivering measurement information digitally. 
  • Controls who can access the data and specifies permissible action. 

RT: Quality control teams that have adopted the PolyWorks digital thread have reported “that they can do twice as much work with the same team.” Could the solution help with the industry’s labour and skill shortage? 

MS: Certainly, and this is evidenced by the observations of numerous clients we have assisted with the assessment of their return on investment (ROI). Our calculations indicate that the ROI is at least ten times greater than the cost of deploying the PolyWorks digital thread, including both hardware and software expenses. This accounts for twice the measurement capacity compared to previous capabilities. 

RT: Is the digital thread technology as accessible for small-to-medium-sized businesses as it is for large manufacturers? 

MS: Absolutely. In fact, our data management and digital connectivity solution, PolyWorks|DataLoop, is growing in popularity among small-to-medium-sized businesses, outpacing adoption by larger manufacturers. Smaller organisations tend to make decisions more swiftly and implement them with greater ease. Additionally, the PolyWorks pricing model is designed to accommodate companies of all sizes. We strongly advocate for digital transformation that is accessible to all. 

RT: PolyWorks already offers 10 digital connectors. Are there any areas where this range could expand? And what users would benefit most from High QA’s new digital connectors? 

MS: The rapidly growing use of 3D measurement presents numerous opportunities that surpass the capacities of a single company. Consequently, we have started collaborating with various software companies, particularly in product and process engineering simulation modelling, quality management, and technical data packages. These partnerships aim to accelerate the digitalisation of manufacturing processes by interconnecting our respective platforms. 

When it comes to High QA, their PolyWorks digital thread connector will benefit metrologists who need to transfer bill of characteristics and dimensional requirements from 2D drawings to PolyWorks|Inspector, particularly those who work in the field of precision machining.

RT: Demands surrounding quality control improvements and innovative products with complex geometries were key considerations for PolyWorks|Inspector 2025. What long-term trends could influence the solution’s development in the future? 

MS: All industries are now grappling with the challenge of accelerating their time to market. Companies are seeking technologies that will enable them to launch products 25% or even 50% faster than before. We believe that streamlining dimensional inspection processes, along with engineering simulation modelling, is instrumental in achieving this goal. 

If you missed InnovMetric’s PolyWorks Conference Live 2025, you can watch the event on demand and dive further into the world of digital threads.