Munich/Regensburg. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has
today named BMW Group Plant Regensburg a ‘Lighthouse of the Fourth
Industrial Revolution’, acknowledging its pioneering role in the
digitalisation of industrial production. The honour was bestowed after
an in-depth selection process which saw the WEF examine around 1,000
production facilities in various industry sectors. A total of seven
plants have today joined the circle of ‘Factories of the Future’.
The BMW Group Production System is closely based on the Strategy
NUMBER ONE NEXT. The wide-ranging technological opportunities
raised by the digital transformation in particular are being
integrated into production to positive effect. According to the WEF,
especially by using the custom BMW Group Intranet-of-Things platform,
the Regensburg Plant cut the time to deploy all new applications by
80% leading to a significant reduction in logistics costs.
Manfred Erlacher, Plant Director at BMW Group Plant Regensburg: “The
creativity and experience of our associates are the key drivers of
effective innovations and consequently of our production system as
well. Once a smart solution is successfully implemented, it soon
spreads to other areas of production and other BMW Group sites.”
It is these solutions that make the increasing complexity of
production manageable at all: high-performance production systems are
enabling the BMW Group’s 30 production and assembly plants in 14
countries to deliver a global daily output of around 10,000 vehicles.
These comprise more than 40 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce model variants,
a great many of them individually configured. The decision by the WEF
to induct the Regensburg Plant into its community of ‘Lighthouses of
the Fourth Industrial Revolution’ provides confirmation of the success
of the many digital solutions in the BMW Group Production System.
The smooth integration of new, digital applications into production
IT is supported first and foremost by the BMW Group Intranet-of-Things
platform. This offers employees a wide range of digital tools and
accessories which they can combine to create their own plug-and-play
solutions. It’s an approach that keeps people firmly in the focus of
value creation and offers them even more scope to shape their own workstations.
Dr. Christian Patron, Head of Innovation, Digitalisation and Data
Analytics: “The recognition of Plant Regensburg as a Lighthouse
motivates us to continue on our chosen pathway. Effective digital
solutions and structural decisions provide us with clear strategic
guidance and, along with the overarching BMW IoT platform, they are
key factors in our success. The capacity of our associates to shape
developments and integrate new solutions into production is
fundamental to what we do.”
The digitalisation of the BMW Group Production System is largely
taking place in the fields of innovative automation and assistance
systems, additive manufacturing, smart data analytics and smart logistics.
To find out more, see our press releases:
BMW Group Harnesses Potential of Innovative Automation and Flexible
Assistance Systems in Production:
A million printed components in just ten years: BMW Group makes
increasing use of 3D printing:
Smart Data Analytics: BMW Group relies on intelligent use of
production data for efficient processes and premium quality:
Connected, flexible, autonomous: BMW Group expands use of innovative
technologies in production logistics:
A glimpse of the future: BMW Group uses virtual reality to design
future production workstations: