The autonomous driving revolution is making great strides in automotive manufacturing, with the BMW Group at the forefront of this transformation. Through its BMW iFactory initiative, the company is advancing automation in vehicle manufacturing, demonstrating the effectiveness and implementation of new technologies in its production processes.
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Implementation in Dingolfing and Leipzig
Since 2022, BMW has been testing the Automated Driving In-Plant system at its CE-certified flagship European plant in Dingolfing. This pilot project has now reached the series production stage, with the Leipzig plant joining the initiative. In addition to the BMW 5 Series and 7 Series models in Dingolfing, the technology is also being applied to the production of the MINI Countryman and other BMW models in Leipzig.
The vehicles, equipped with this innovative technology, are able to autonomously travel a route of more than a kilometer, moving from the assembly halls through a short test drive to the finishing area. The driverless driving is made possible by cutting-edge sensors that use laser pulses to calculate distances, integrated into a sophisticated cloud architecture.
Collaborations and future developments
The implementation of autonomous driving was also achieved through collaboration with Embotech, a Swiss company specializing in advanced technologies, which provided crucial parts for the autonomous driving system. The Leipzig plant plans to adopt automated driving for approximately 90 percent of vehicles, with further expansion planned in Regensburg and Oxford by 2025. In addition, the new Debrecen plant in Hungary will adopt this technology from the start of its series production.
Digitalization and automation represent a significant step towards the future of automotive manufacturing, with the BMW Group focused on efficient technology integration across its global operations.
Article published on November 29, 2024 - 19:17
