The Institute for Systemic Economic Engineering (ISEE) was proud to participate in the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE) 2025.

We presented two pivotal research papers demonstrating how Business Model Ontology (BMO) and Business Digital Twins (BDT) can empower the modern workforce and transform the supply chain for advanced materials. Here is a recap of our key contributions to the 2025 congress:

Unlocking Workforce Capabilities with the Business Digital Twin

Paper: The Business Digital Twin: Unlocking Industrial Engineering and Reengineering Capabilities of the Manufacturing Workforce 

Authors: Stefan Stefanov, Trifon Stefanov, Dana Bachvarova

Achieving industrial sustainability requires more than just advanced machinery; it demands a highly capable workforce equipped to manage and innovate within smart factories. Our first presentation introduced a newly developed Business Digital Twin (BDT) software designed directly in an industrial setting.

Key Takeaways:

• Comprehensive Management: The BDT software acts as both a knowledge provider and an intuitive tool, allowing professionals to manage, develop, and establish enterprises across strategic, tactical, and operational dimensions.

• Ontology-Driven: Built upon the principles of Business Model Ontology (BMO), the software was successfully applied to plan a new product while designing the entire factory environment—from supply chains and production to sales and financing.

• Workforce Empowerment: By bridging theoretical knowledge with practical application, the BDT effectively equips engineers and entrepreneurs to revitalize existing manufacturing enterprises or build exciting new ones from the ground up.

Democratizing Smart Material Production (PZT & EAP)

Paper: Planning and Simulating the Creation of a Smart Factory for PZT (Piezoelectric Materials) and EAP (Electroactive Polymers) Using a Methodology Based on Business Model Ontology 

Authors: Trifon Stefanov, Stefan Stefanov, Rupal Srivastava

Currently, the production of vital smart materials like Piezoelectric Materials (PZTs) and Electroactive Polymers (EAPs) is dominated by major conglomerates. Our second paper showcased how Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) can break into this market, fostering a more resilient and flexible global supply chain.

Using BMO to plan and simulate a smart factory, we provided a highly detailed, data-driven roadmap for making smart material production accessible and highly profitable.

Financial and Operational Projections:

• Initial Investment: Establishing the complete technological environment requires a capital investment of $144,234 over a six-month development period, with an additional $55,524 required for the first three months of operations.

• Cost Efficiency: The simulation demonstrated a massive reduction in the production cost of PZT—dropping from $29.44 per kg for a 1kg batch to just $9.75 per kg for batches of 10kg or more.

• Break-Even Point: The enterprise projects a break-even scenario by the third month at just 30% capacity utilization (monthly sales of 400kg PZT and 50m² EAP).

• Maximum Profitability: In an optimized scenario operating at 79% capacity (1080kg PZT and 100m² EAP), the facility is expected to generate a monthly profit of $30,501, totaling $366,012 annually.