In the context of industrial digitalization, the Industry 5.0 model incorporates digital twins as an innovative tool. This study aims to delve deeper into the concept of digital twins, their integration with the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and how these solutions contribute to bring intelligence into industrial environments. Digitalization in industry enables connected products and processes to enhance the productivity and efficiency of people, plants, and equipment. The outcomes of these improvements should have widespread impacts on both the economy and the environment. As connected products and processes generate data, this data is increasingly viewed as a fundamental source of competitive advantage, posing new challenges in industrial environments. The article examines digital twin technology, its integration with IIoT and the intelligence of this devices in the Industry 5.0 or smart manufacturing framework. The focus lies on discussing about the contribution of digital twins for optimizing industrial processes. The paper reviews relevant articles and conducts a bibliometric analysis of key topics surrounding digital twins as a value-added solution for process optimization within the Industry 5.0 paradigm. The primary findings highlight the growing significance of this subject since 2018, as evidenced by the number of published articles in the Scopus Database. Additionally, the study underscores the complexity of digital twins addressing this issue within the industrial environment.