AbstractThis paper addresses the way a simulated annealing-based fitting strategy can be enhanced by leveraging a sensitivity analysis able to characterize the impact of the variations in the parameters of a CAD model on the evolution of the deviation between the CAD model itself and the point cloud of the digitized part to be fitted. The principles underpinning the adopted fitting algorithm are briefly recalled. The applied sensitivity analysis is described together with the comparison of the resulting sensitivity evolution curves with the changes in the CAD model parameters imposed by the simulated annealing algorithm. This analysis suggests several possible improvements that are discussed. The overall approach is illustrated on the fitting of single mechanical parts but it can be directly extended to the fitting of parts’ assemblies. It is particularly interesting in the context of the Industry 4.0 to update digital twins of physical products and systems.