Munich, Dingolfing, Leipzig. The BMW Group is
systematically advancing the digitalisation and automation of its
production processes within the BMW iFACTORY framework. Since 2022,
the company has been testing Automated Driving In-Plant (AFW) for new
vehicles at its largest European plant in Dingolfing. Following
successful CE certification, the pilot project is now transitioning
into series operation.
In addition to Dingolfing, Leipzig is
also currently being enabled to implement the AFW project in series
operation. Other facilities in the BMW Group production network are
set to follow in stages.
“Automated Driving In-Plant optimises our production process and
delivers significant efficiency gains for our logistics,” explains
Milan Nedeljković, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG
responsible for Production. “That is why we will be swiftly rolling
out this technology throughout our production network.”
In addition to the BMW 5 Series and 7 Series in Dingolfing, this
technology is now also being used for the MINI Countryman and other
BMW models in Leipzig. In Dingolfing the new vehicles drive fully
autonomously – without a driver – along a route of more than one
kilometre, from the two assembly halls, through the “short test
course”, to the plant’s finishing area. This is made possible by
sensors installed along the route – creating the largest LIDAR
infrastructure in Europe – and relying on an externally generated
environment model and an external movement planner. Regardless of the
vehicle’s equipment options, this system controls its automated
movements, using state-of-the-art cloud architecture. Parts of the
technology were provided by the young Swiss company Embotech AG, which
the BMW Group already cooperated with in the early stages through its
venture client unit, the BMW START-UP Garage.
Plant Leipzig plans to introduce automated driving for around 90
percent of the BMW and MINI models built there, with Plants Regensburg
and Oxford set to follow in 2025. The new site in Debrecen, Hungary,
will also implement this technology from the official launch of series production.
Going forward, the BMW Group plans to expand its use of Automated
Driving In-Plant to other areas of production, such as for driving
through the testing zone and in outdoor distribution areas. Production
and development experts are also working closely together to refine
the technology in-house. Another key factor in expanding the
technology is the increasing use of on-board technology, which will
support the external sensors in the long term.
“Over the next ten years, we will log several million test kilometres
with Automated Driving In-Plant in our production network alone,” says
Nedeljković. “In this way, the BMW Group is once again setting a new
benchmark for automation and digitalisation of its production
processes – while paving the way for future applications in the field
of autonomous driving.”