## 1 Introduction and Literature Review  
Digital solutions for improving the performance of high added-value manufacturing industries are paving the way towards the digitalization of industrial companies. Machine-tool manufacturers have taken the lead in the development of tools such as Celos or Savvy [1], which provide excellent platforms for digitalization. Digitalization of the manufacturing sector is running parallel to current societal and economic developments. In a survey conducted in 2020, Eurostat states that the manufacturing sector employed more than 28.5 million people in the EU in 2017 [2], with this sector occupying third place in the employment rankings [3]. CECIMO (The European Association of the Machine Tool Industries), in its annual survey on machine-tool production, states that since January 2017, industrial production has grown by 3.0% in the EU [4], emphasizing the importance of the manufacturing sector in current European society. With regard to the development of manufacturing technologies in the EU, in a recent survey carried out in 2019 [5], it is stated that \"the production processes will become increasingly digital and less mechanical\", whilst also pointing out that \"Digitisation is expanding possibilities to: design and test products or processes virtually (simulation); repair industrial apparatus remotely; and automate the constant fine-tuning of processes.\" A recent paper [6], studied in detail the main aspects and technologies that will enable this revolution, along with the main application domains. The grinding process is key in the manufacturing of high added value parts in many industrial sectors such as aerospace, the automotive industry, and energy production [7]. Its characteristics make it the best choice when smooth tolerances and good surface quality must be achieved in difficult-to-machine materials. This fact is of critical importance in the previously mentioned industrial sectors in which new materials are being developed every day, and the precision requirements continue to become more demanding [8]. Thus, together with high-quality ground parts, the grinding process is required to be highly productive whilst also meeting sustainability demands [9]. Grinding will also play a leading role in facing some of the challenges related to the development of e-mobility (according to Bloomberg NEF, in 2040 there will be more electric vehicles than combustion vehicles), the need to expand aircraft fleets (which, according to the Aerospace and Defense Industries Association of Europe, is a sector that is expected to see considerable growth up until 2032) and the new challenges to be met in terms of ensuring clean and sustainable energy systems [10]. Grinding is adapting successfully to the current situation and, according to a recent report [11], the grinding wheel market is predicted to show an annual growth rate of around 2.83% until 2025, particularly in the niche market sectors such as those mentioned previously. This fact reflects the industrial importance of the process and highlights the necessity for industrial companies to optimize their grinding processes in order to be competitive in the 21 st century global society. In spite of these encouraging data, it is important to note that the global situation of the industry is continuously changing [12] and that grinding technology must be prepared to be competitive within this framework. Cyber-physical systems (CPS) will be critical for facing these new challenges. The digital twin (DT) concept is now key for optimizing capabilities of manufacturing processes. In [12], this concept is widely analyzed and applied to the manufacturing processes and it has been defined as \"a mirror of the real world that provides a means of simulating, predicting and optimizing physical manufacturing systems and processes\".