In a successful cooperation between BMW Group Plant Dingolfing and Landshut University of Applied Sciences, students have developed an innovative solution for plant logistics. The new digital tool automates the counting of empty containers using artificial intelligence (AI), saving time and avoiding errors.

At the BMW Group Plant Dingolfing, around 1,600 different types of containers are in circulation every day, transporting parts for vehicle production. Until now, these containers were counted manually, which was time-consuming and prone to errors.

Our goal was to automate empties counting as efficiently and simply as possible.

—Wolfgang Schratzenstaller, project manager at the BMW Group Plant in Dingolfing

Within three months, the eight-person team developed a cost-effective and efficient solution. A simple mobile phone video, taken while running through the rows with the containers, is sufficient to determine the exact number per container variant.

QR codes are placed above the block storage lanes, which link to a database of container data. The AI analyses the video and calculates the number of containers.

—Dominik Dama, an IT master’s student

The counting system is currently in the pilot phase to test its performance under real conditions. In the future, the solution will also be used in other areas of plant logistics. It is also planned to further automate the counting process by using autonomous Smart Transport Robots (STR) to record the videos.