BMW i Ventures announced its lead investment in Fox Robotics, developers of the first intelligent forklift that can autonomously unload pallets from the trailer to the receiving dock. The oversubscribed funding round totals $20 million. Additional new investors include Zebra Technologies, Japan Airlines & Translink Innovation Fund and Foothill Ventures.... Read more →

At its Dingolfing plant, the BMW Group is implementing a modular production system for chassis components to ensure even more flexibility in the production of different vehicle variants—whether all-electric, hybrid or classic combustion engine, whether all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive. This also has advantages for the environment. In the component... Read more →

Renault Group and Atos have launched ID@scale (Industrial Data @ Scale), a new service for industrial data collection to support manufacturing companies in their digital journey towards Industry 4.0. “ID@S” (Industrial Data @ Scale) will allow manufacturers to collect and structure data from industrial equipment at scale to improve operational... Read more →

A project consortium funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and led by the BMW Group was launched three years ago, with small and mid-sized enterprises, large companies and research institutes. The common goal was to revolutionize metal 3D printing in standard automotive production. The 12... Read more →

Toyota Ventures launched its third global “call for innovation” today to search for early-stage companies that can help make the factory of the future a reality sooner. In partnership with Toyota’s Manufacturing Project Innovation Center (MPIC) and Toyota Research Institute (TRI), the 2022 call focuses on finding scalable solutions to... Read more →

LG Energy Solution has hired Dr. Peter Kyungsuk Pyun for the newly created position of Chief Digital Officer, CDO, as the company ramps up efforts to transform its global facilities into data-centric operations. Before joining LGES, Pyun worked at Nvidia Corporation, Silicon Valley headquarters, as one of five principal data... Read more →

04/01/2022 Images are for editorial use only. Partnership builds on existing relationship to deliver increased automation and sustainability for auto parts production New joint venture agreement signed by both parties on December 30th 2021 and expected to commence operation in Q2, 2022 Automation expert ABB and China’s leading automotive parts... Read more →

Led by Bosch, the University of Stuttgart, and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), a total of thirty companies will define the foundations for software-defined manufacturing (SDM) over the next three years in the SDM4FZI research project (Software-Defined Manufacturing for the Vehicle and Supplier Industry). The goal is to design... Read more →

ABB has launched ABB Ability Smart Melt Shop, the first smart factory digital application of its kind for the metals industry. It is designed to increase melt shop productivity, save energy and improve employee safety, with payback within six months. Based on advanced digital algorithms, the new solution is unique... Read more →

Volkswagen is taking a further step in the direction of fully networked factories. A local 5G campus network is now available at its main plant in Wolfsburg that initially covers the main production development center and the pilot hall. The pilot project will test whether the 5G technology meets the... Read more →

Identifying defect sources, determining the optimal maintenance schedule, improving manufacturing processes: until now, artificial intelligence only made this possible in a paint shop equipped with state-of-the-art robots. Now, however, Dürr is significantly expanding the scope of its AI applications with the enablement of analysis software from the DXQ product family... Read more →

Despite all the restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Dürr has handed over one of the biggest paint shops in China to SAIC Volkswagen (SVW) on schedule. The new plant in Anting boasts a production capacity twice that of a standard paint shop at 120 bodies per hour, and behind... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz and Siemens will cooperate on advancing digitalization and automation in the automotive industry, supported by the State of Berlin. Mercedes-Benz AG aims to digitize its production processes. Siemens, a leading supplier in the field of automation, industrial software and smart infrastructure, will bring its expertise and technologies to the... Read more →

Volkswagen gave a first design preview of Project Trinity. The electrically powered sedan is to be built in Wolfsburg from 2026 and is intended to set new standards in terms of range, charging speed and digitization—as well as being able of delivering Level 4 automated driving. The project name Trinity... Read more →

Audi’s Neckarsulm site is the first automotive plant in the Volkswagen Group to use RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology for vehicle identification throughout the entire production process, thereby laying another cornerstone for fully connected production. An enhanced RFID data carrier is being used for the first time in the production of... Read more →

Geely Auto Group and Tencent signed an agreement to carry out strategic cooperation in the fields of digitalization, intelligent cockpits, autonomous drive, and low-carbon development. The two parties will work together to digitalize fully all aspects of an automotive product lifecycle from product development, manufacturing, marketing, vehicle utilization, to after-sales... Read more →

Daimler AG and Infosys announced a long-term strategic partnership for a technology-driven IT infrastructure transformation. After the receipt of all regulatory approvals, Daimler AG will transform its IT operating model and infrastructure landscape across workplace services, service desk, data center, networks and SAP Basis together with Infosys. The partnership will... Read more →

Volkswagen plans to connect its production facilities in Chattanooga (TN), Puebla and Silao (Mexico) with the global Industrial Cloud initiative from the Volkswagen Group and Amazon Web Services (AWS). The Industrial Cloud is an IT industrial platform, designed to gather and analyze data from all connected Volkswagen Group facilities on... Read more →

Audi is using augmented reality (AR) to plan complex logistics processes. The virtual presentation of three dimensional holograms that are shown in their actual environment helps planners to better evaluate the future situation. Because of this, prototypes of containers or equipment, etc., which are elaborate to produce, are no longer... Read more →

Global interoperability solutions provider Elysium is developing a new consolidated interoperability platform scheduled for release in spring of 2021. The new 3DxSUITE will enable users to customize and integrate Elysium’s advanced data solutions into automated quality and compliance-checking systems best suited to their operational needs. For almost 30 years, we... Read more →

Volkswagen, together with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and integration partner Siemens, is opening up the Industrial Cloud (earlier post) to other manufacturing and technology companies. New partner companies will be able to connect with Volkswagen plants and to contribute their own software applications for optimizing production processes to the Industrial... Read more →

Global chemical company BASF and IntelliSense.io, a leading industrial artificial intelligence (AI) company, announced an exclusive partnership which will combine their expertise in mineral processing, ore beneficiation chemistry and industrial AI technology. The joint offering is called the ‘BASF Intelligent Mine powered by IntelliSense.io’ and delivers AI solutions embedded with... Read more →

Groupe Renault and Google Cloud announced a new industrial and technology partnership to accelerate the digitization of Groupe Renault’s industrial system and of Industry 4.0 transformation. A recognized contributor to Industry 4.0, Groupe Renault has been developing its own digital platform since 2016 to connect and to aggregate industrial data... Read more →

Dürr is announcing the availability of the first market-ready AI application for paint shops: Advanced Analytics. The solution, which combines the latest IT technology and mechanical engineering expertise, identifies sources of defects and determines optimal maintenance schedules. It also tracks previously unknown correlations and uses the knowledge to adapt the... Read more →

Capgemini and Audi have launched a joint venture: XL2. Following regulatory approvals, the company was founded at the end of April. It will provide digital technology and consulting services, specifically in the fields of SAP S/4HANA and cloud services primarily for Audi and the entire Volkswagen Group. XL2 was founded... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group is pushing ahead with the integration of its plants into the Volkswagen Industrial Cloud; the aim is to further improve the efficiency of the plants and reduce production costs. (Earlier post.) The first three plants were already linked up in 2019. In 2020, the Group will integrate... Read more →

At its annual press conference, the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand touted its record deliveries of 6.3 million units in a declining market in 2019 and said that it is about to leap into the electric era. The ID.3, the first all-electric car based on the new MEB electric platform, is... Read more →

As part of a three-year research project supported by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, the BMW Group and three partner companies from Bavaria are exploring the possibilities for making BMW Group Plant Dingolfing a smart factory for logistics. The “Autonomous and Connected Logistics” research project... Read more →

ZF Friedrichshafen AG is joining the Open Manufacturing Platform (OMP), which was announced in 2019 by the BMW Group and Microsoft. The OMP is an open industrial IoT platform to accelerate production and logistics optimization efforts. (Earlier post.) The aim of this initiative is to enable faster and more cost-effective... Read more →

Toshiba Digital & Consulting Corporation (TDX) and Spain’s Gestamp, a multinational specialized in the design, development and manufacture of highly engineered metal components for top vehicle manufacturers, are cooperating in a project to bring advanced monitoring and analysis to the welding of vehicle chassis parts. By drawing on know-how from... Read more →

BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA) has become the first automobile manufacturer to enable full 5G wireless coverage at all its plants. The new wireless standard allows large quantities of data to be transferred within a very short space of time, since data will now be processed in small, high-performance computer centers... Read more →

The Audi e-tron GT is the first vehicle in the VW Group to dispense with an actual prototype in the 3P (Production Preparation Process) workshops, according to Markus Moinot, Head of Production Planning Processes in Neckarsulm. Using VR glasses and controllers, employees from various departments test all assembly processes entirely... Read more →

Volkswagen has opened a new IT Development Center in its Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden. In Software Development Center Production (SDC Production), up to 80 newly hired IT specialists will be working on the Volkswagen Industrial Cloud. In the future, the Industrial Cloud will link all 122 Group-wide Volkswagen production facilities.... Read more →

The BMW Group’s worldwide spare parts logistics center in Dingolfing has recently started piloting autonomous transport platforms. The electrically powered AutoBox helps to move incoming spare parts efficiently from the freight dock to the warehouse. With a deck space of almost 20 square meters, the AutoBox can transport 20 lattice... Read more →

At Hannover Messe, Microsoft and the BMW Group announced a new community initiative to enable faster, more cost-effective innovation in the manufacturing sector. Manufacturing production and profitability can be hindered by complex, proprietary systems that create data silos and slow productivity. The Open Manufacturing Platform (OMP) is designed to break... Read more →

An the 2019 Hannover Messe, Ericsson, together with Audi and Sick (a leading provider of sensors for industrial automation), is demonstrating human-robot interaction in real time using 5G. In the future, wireless production robots and employees will work hand in hand. Real-time interaction is essential for smooth collaboration. The key... Read more →

The Siemens technology group will be the integration partner for the Volkswagen Industrial Cloud. (Earlier post.) Volkswagen and Amazon Web Services (AWS) earlier this week announced the development of the Industrial Cloud; in the future, the Volkswagen Industrial Cloud will combine the data of all machines, plants and systems from... Read more →

Volkswagen and Amazon Web Services (AWS) will develop the Volkswagen Industrial Cloud together. Both companies announced a multi-year, global agreement jointly to develop this project. In the future, the Volkswagen Industrial Cloud will combine the data of all machines, plants and systems from all 122 facilities of the Volkswagen Group.... Read more →

The BMW Group is increasingly relying on innovations from the fields of digitalization and Industry 4.0 in production logistics. The focus is on applications such as logistics robots, autonomous transport systems at plants and digitalization projects for an end-to-end supply chain. Staff can control logistics processes from mobile devices such... Read more →

Automakers and their suppliers, like manufacturers in many other industries, have been exploring the potential of digital manufacturing strategies to increase productivity, profitability and decision-making. Audi, for example, just last week announced plans with Ericsson to pilot the use of 5G as a future-proof enabling communication technology for such Industry... Read more →

Audi and Ericsson plan to pioneer the use of 5G technology for automotive production. At Audi’s headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany, the two companies agreed on a range of activities exploring the potential of 5G as a future-proof communication technology that can meet the high demands of automotive production. Audi and... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz Cars is starting construction of its first “Full-Flex Plant“ in Kecskemét, Hungary, about 90 km in the south of Budapest. Overall, the company is investing €1 billion in the new car plant and creating more than 2,500 jobs. The first global “Full-Flex Plant” of Mercedes-Benz Cars is based on... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CESMII) will award nearly $10 million for ten projects to help advance its goals and enable US manufacturers to develop and implement innovations that will advance U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, sustainability, and innovation. Launched in 2016, CESMII focuses on... Read more →

Dürr is building a paint shop in Mexico for the BMW Group that meets the requirements for connected Industry 4.0 production. This plant, featuring the first integrated smart factory concept from Dürr, is being built at the San Luis Potosí site. San Luis Potosí will build the BMW brand’s best-selling... Read more →

Dürr is building a fully automatic paint shop for a Anhui Jianghuai Automobile (JAC) plant in China. The plant is designed to handle 100,000 units per year, will commence operation in June 2018, and will produce battery-electric cars on behalf of a local electric car manufacturer. The vehicles will be... Read more →

by Irina Slav for Oilprice.com While OPEC mulls over further steps to once again support falling oil prices, tech startups are quietly ushering in a new era in oil and gas: the era of the digital oil field. Much talk has revolved around how software can completely transform the energy... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation and Hitachi, Ltd. will collaborate to build a high-efficiency production model using an IoT (Internet of Things) platform. These two companies will conduct verification at Toyota’s model plants (Toyota, Aichi Prefecture) starting from this October. Through this verification, they intend to establish a platform using Hitachi’s IoT... Read more →

At Audi’s Ingolstadt plant, humans and robots are now working side-by-side without a protective fence in an advance in human-robot cooperation (HRC). “Adhesive application with robot assistance,” abbreviated from the German as KLARA (Klebstoffapplikation mit Roboter-Assistenz), provides support with the installation of roofs made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP)... Read more →

“Productive4.0”, the largest European research initiative to date in the field of Industry 4.0, was launched at Infineon Technologies in Dresden. Coordinated by Infineon Technologies AG, more than 100 partners from 19 European countries will work on digitizing and networking industry. Involved in the project are partners such as BMW,... Read more →

Audi has won the Logistics Award for 2017 from the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) in recognition of its FTS driverless vehicle transport system. The autonomously operating system has been in production operation at the Ingolstadt site since the beginning of the year. The parking robot, RAY, from... Read more →