Tag: virtual reality

Augmented reality, AI, cobots and digital twins are transforming automotive production by enhancing worker training, planning, inspection and collaboration

Human-machine interfaces are becoming central to car production. With AR, cobots, AI inspection and digital twins, OEMs like Ford, Volvo, GM and Mercedes are reshaping the way people and machines interact.

As automotive manufacturing digitises, new smart factory roles in AI, data and IIoT are replacing traditional shopfloor jobs and transforming skills requirements

As automotive manufacturing becomes more intelligent, connected and software-defined, factory roles are shifting. New digital profiles are emerging, while traditional ones risk becoming obsolete.

How digital twins, hybrid clouds and predictive AI are enabling connected manufacturing in the automotive industry

Automotive manufacturers are racing to connect systems, optimise production and secure supply chains through digital twins, hybrid clouds and AI. But legacy systems and organisational inertia remain major obstacles. By Ilkhan Ozsevim.

Audi pioneers virtual control systems with Siemens and Broadcom to transform production efficiency and digital automation in its Böllinger Höfe bodyshop

Audi is rolling out virtual programmable logic controllers at its Böllinger Höfe site with Siemens, Broadcom and Cisco, replacing hardware with cloud-based automation to enhance agility, scalability and environmental efficiency

How digital twins are boosting efficiency and adaptability in automotive manufacturing: Stellantis, Webasto and Cintoo dig in

Digital twins are becoming essential in automotive manufacturing, helping OEMs and suppliers optimise efficiency, adapt to electrification, and enhance real-time decision-making. We look at how BMW, HORSE, Stellantis, Webasto and Cintoo are pushing the technology’s boundaries.

Henkel’s digital battery simulation team accelerates EV battery design and development, cutting costly iterations and physical testing for faster market readiness

PARTNER CONTENTThis content was produced by Automotive Manufacturing Solutions in partnership with Henkel.Material supplier Henkel has created a new simulation team that is helping customers to be much faster and more efficient during battery design and development.

Hyundai Motor Group to invest $21bn in US vehicle production, future tech, energy infrastructure and supply chains, targeting 1.2m unit capacity and 100,000 new jobs by 2028

Hyundai Motor Group is deepening its US manufacturing footprint with a $21bn investment through 2028. The Group is scaling production, localising components and developing future mobility and energy technologies to strengthen industrial resilience.

Accelerating EV innovation transforms design and manufacturing processes as Toyota and Volkswagen lead cross-functional integration and digital twin adoption for future production

Industry experts at the AMS Evolution panel examine the accelerating EV shift and its impact on design and manufacturing. Toyota and Volkswagen share insights on engineering flexibility and digital twin simulation to streamline production

Why global automotive innovators must embrace Design For Manufacture to power production in an environment of increasing complexity and fierce foreign competition

Automotive manufacturers are streamlining production with Design for Manufacture (DFM), cutting complexity, reducing costs and driving EV innovation. In In this article, experts reveal the key strategies and digital tools that are reshaping vehicle production.

EU invests in AI to transform automotive manufacturing with ‘AI smart factories’, automation and next-generation production technologies

The EU’s new InvestAI fund will inject €200 billion ($208.4bn) into AI, transforming European automotive manufacturing. With AI gigafactories and smart factory technology, this initiative aims to drive automation, digitalisation and next-generation production systems.

Volkswagen partners with Dassault Systèmes to accelerate software-defined vehicle development with the AI-powered 3DEXPERIENCE cloud platform

Volkswagen has selected Dassault Systèmes’ AI-powered 3DEXPERIENCE platform as its primary engineering and manufacturing system. The move aims to drive software-defined vehicle innovation, enhance efficiency and unify fragmented processes across the group.

How OEMs such as BMW, Toyota and Ford are harnessing data-driven decision making drive sustainability in automotive manufacturing

Leading automotive OEMs and tier-suppliers are deploying cutting-edge data tools to transform their operations. This article explores how they are using AI and big data to enhance resource efficiency, reduce emissions, and pave the way for a greener future in manufacturing.

VW Wolfsburg plant kicks-off Tayron production with precision and digital innovation

The VW main plant is once again producing four different models. After the Seat Tarraco is phased out, the VW Tayron is taking its place. Read how the start-up worked here.

Bodo Philipp joins MHP Consulting UK as CEO, driving digital transformation and building OEM partnerships to navigate the future of the UK automotive industry

Bodo Philipp, with over 20 years of automotive experience at global names like Bugatti Rimac, Audi and Volkswagen, takes over as CEO of MHP Consulting UK. His mandate is to drive digital innovation, empower teams and strengthen partnerships with OEMs to navigate both traditional and EV sectors.

Global IT outage affects Mercedes-Benz production

The global IT outage that hit industries across the world today has affected automotive manufacturing across the world, causing problems for the automotive manufacturing industry globally.

Virtual production networks are able to solve multi-level complexities across automotive manufacturing

Virtual production networks provide automotive manufacturing with myriad solutions like advanced time- and cost-saving simulations, global collaboration capabilities, and innovative tools like digital twins to harness untapped production flexibility.

Hyundai’s Metaplant America announces launch of 2025 IONIQ 5 to pioneer electric mobility

Hyundai’s new $7.59B Metaplant in Georgia gears up to commence production of the highly acclaimed 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5, reinforcing its commitment to pioneering EV technology and creating thousands of jobs in the region.

How Mercedes-Benz and Seat are transforming their plants

Michael Bauer, regional head of production at Mercedes-Benz and Jose Arreche, plant manager at Seat emphasised the importance of data and digitalisation in the transformation of their plants at the Automobil Produktion Kongress 2024, but stressed the evolving role that people will play in production.

Balancing digitalisation with production output

The focus of the Automobil Produktion Kongress 2024 was on sustainable, efficient and digital production methods. Industry experts from car manufacturers and suppliers discussed the future of smart production.

ZF’s Arno Güllering on smart factory innovations and navigating volatility

AMS’ chief content officer Christopher Ludwig spoke to Arno Güllering, senior vice president, Operations – Electrified Powertrain Technology division at ZF at the Automobil Produktion Kongress 2024 at Munich to discuss the roadmap for navigating industry challenges and embracing the digital future.

Design4Production: Recap blog

Thank you for joining us for the Design4Production 2024 event, read the summary of the key sessions covered at the event below. Today’s discussions highlighted the critical integration of design, engineering, and production to foster innovation and collaboration in the automotive industry. Esteemed speakers from Ford, NOYO AG, Volvo Group, Hyundai, among others, emphasised the importance of breaking down silos, enhancing sustainability, and speeding up development processes.

“Our future viability is not a given”: BMW Leipzig’s plant manager Petra Peterhänsel

Despite the crises, the BMW plant in Leipzig is optimistic about the future: in an interview, plant manager Petra Peterhänsel explains how investments in electrification and automation should contribute to a rosy future for the location

DESIGN4PRODUCTION brings together leaders in automotive production, design, and engineering

Explore the future of automotive design and manufacturing at Design4Production in Munich on 15 May and join leading designers, engineers and production leaders on Automotive design and manufacturing experts as they discuss how to accelerate innovation, efficiency and sustainability.

AMS & ABB Automotive Manufacturing Outlook Survey 2023 results: A positive outlook despite evolving challenges

Download our latest global survey results to gain expert insight into automotive manufacturing trends, gauge the current sentiment across the automotive sector and learn about the broader industry outlook for 2024 and beyond.

The state and stipulation of automotive production: Retrospect 2023 to prospect 2024

Using 2023 as a launchpad into the coming trends of 2024, we take a dive into the coming automotive production trends set to shape the industry

The automotive value-add of additive manufacturing and simulation technologies: an agile and resilient powerhouse in engine development

Markforged’s additive manufacturing solves Punch Torino’s automotive challenges with robust camshaft tools. Simulation technology streamlines design, reducing iterations with a future focus on sustainable internal combustion engines and alternative fuels.

Renault unveils ambitious Re-Industry transformation roadmap to reshape its production infrastructure for elevated industrial agility and enhanced sustainability commitment

Renault Group’s Re-Industry plan involves a comprehensive transformation of its industrial foundation, leveraging digital technologies, AI and agile practices to achieve significant cost reductions, improve efficiency and meet sustainability goals. The Industrial Metaverse and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies are central to this strategic vision.

Back in the USA

Returning to Detroit for the first time in over 10 years the AMS Automotive Evolution North America event delivered expert panels and a fully engaged audience who combined to share their valuable insights and experience, through panel discussions, Q&A and networking. Here are some of the highlights from the sessions.

AMS Autumn 2023 – Continental Shift

In this latest AMS digital edition we have a special focus on the North American automotive industry as the region’s OEMs make big investments in electric vehicle and battery production

How Mercedes-Benz's Concept CLA Class showcases its ‘digital first’ production model

The carmaker is strengthening its digital first production model with upgrades and enhancements throughout.

Ready for the next generation in Spartanburg

As BMW prepares to build EVs and batteries in Spartanburg, it has expanded training programmes, with emphasis on safety, change management and youth outreach. The head of talent and training, Paul Sinanian, is focused on preparing for the decades ahead.

Six trends that will shape the automotive industry’s future

From integrated factory planning to virtual reality, Autodesk highlights six key trends primed to disrupt the automotive industry in the future

AMS Summer 2023 – JLR goes electric

In our AMS Summer digital edition, we have features on JLR’s plans to transform its end-to-end industrial system, ready for new electric models, Seat’s technical upgrades to production operations and upskilling the workforce and insights into developments at Audi’s Neckarsulm plant, and more.

Manufacturing in the metaverse

BMW has designed its latest production plant at Debrecen in Hungary entirely using digital tools, virtually simulating every detail, including production processes, robot cells and workstations, even before construction has begun

Ford opens $2bn carbon-neutral EV assembly plant in Cologne

Ford has opened the Cologne Electric Vehicle (EV) Center which will produce a new generation of EVs for the European market and will be Ford’s first carbon neutral assembly plant.

Focus on flexibility – optimising battery pack production

The AMS Evolution Livestream expert panel representing Ford, AMTE Power and Henkel, discussed the fast-changing production requirements as cell manufacturers and OEMs ramp up Gigafactories and battery pack assembly.

Shaping the future – Developing electric vehicle architectures

In our AMS Evolution Livestream experts from ArcelorMittal and Gestamp tackle EV production challenges and explain how digital tools, new technologies, processes and materials innovations could help solve some key issues

Form and function: Developing production processes and structures for electric vehicle architectures

As much as we read about battery cell development and production, in parallel the new electric vehicle architectures are also continuing to evolve as vehicle makers strive to find the optimum balance between platform flexibility to meet changing market demands for new models, while also being viable for high-volume production. To get some insights in to this ongoing process AMS spoke with Paul Belanger, Gestamp’s R&D Director for North America

Smart Factory Special Edition - Automobil Produktion

Read about the latest developments in digital twins, predictive maintenance and Industry 4.0 featuring SEAT’s Markus Haupt, Audi and more from AMS sister publication Automobil Produktion in this special edition for the Hannover Messe

AMS Spring 2023 – Next level digital production engineering

In this latest AMS digital edition we have features on Audi’s digital production engineering strategy, Dacia’s vehicle plant Mioveni, production cloud systems, toolmaking, China, sustainability and more.

Virtual production underway in BMW Group’s future plant Debrecen

NVIDIA Omniverse is enabling virtual production in the plant more than two years before actual series production is launched

Building on the edge of the virtual and physical worlds

As Audi aims to bring its local production cloud to plants, head of manufacturing engineering Jörg Spindler sees opportunities to scale digital control systems, digital twins and virtual reality.

Setting the pace for Audi’s global production

Head of manufacturing engineering Jörg Spindler is leading Audi’s push to virtualise production planning, ramp up battery production and use data to reduce emissions and improve productivity in areas like toolmaking and body shop

Welcome to Automotive Evolution Europe 2022!

The 1st Automotive Evolution Europe took place December 6-7 in Munich. We welcomed colleagues and industry peers before the conference at the SZ Tower’s Panorama Lounge followed by a full day of back-to-back discussions with leading experts across Europe and more.

Future-proof Plant Munich - interview with Peter Weber, BMW

Christopher Ludwig caught up with Peter Weber, Director Plant Munich, BMW Group following the closing session of AMS Automotive Evolution Europe 2022.

Engineering the future of manufacturing

Dr Seonhi at Ford Research and Advanced Manufacturing Europe and Erich Barnstedt at Microsoft joined the ninth panel at Automotive Evolution Europe to discuss some of the steps Europe’s automotive industry is taking to future-proof factories and quicken the rollout of new technology, battery and EV production.

AMS Electric Vehicles – The road to e-mobility

In this latest AMS digital edition we will look closely at how manufacturers are developing and finetuning their electric powertrain technologies, platforms and production processes, with in-depth features on Skoda, GM, Ford, Volta Trucks, REE Automotive and more.

BMW Digitalisation – Virtual becomes a reality

By the early part of next year BMW aims to have doubled its production facilities around the world – not physically, but instead virtually in the digital environment

What Vorsprung durch Technik means for Audi manufacturing in 2022

Digital over physical: Audi is making progress in production through virtual reality, AI and software prototype builds, modular assembly, quality control and energy conservation. AMS gets a tour of manufacturing digitalisation in Ingolstadt, and learns what keeps production chief Gerd Walker up at night.

Watch: Are all OEMs start-up manufacturers now?

Hear how start-ups are changing car production and established OEMs are reinventing themselves in manufacturing and engineering, featuring start-up EV truckmaker Volta’s co-founder and chief manufacturing officer Kjell Walöen, and automotive steel solutions director Jesse Paegle from ArcelorMittal.

BMW is 3D scanning all production plants to plan operations virtually

The 3D scans are the first step in producing digital models of all BMW plants worldwide to streamline the planning of production processes.

Watch: The future of production planning

Britishvolt, Jay Global Techno Alliance, HiveMQ and ABB experts agree there are opportunities for manufacturers and consumers in a globally connected manufacturing ecosystem.

Watch: The AI/data loop leading the digital revolution

Tomorrow’s digital smart factories will be more efficent, improve quality, cut costs and unlock insights into deeper automotive manufacturing say this panel of experts from BMW, Secondmind, ATS Global and Lancaster University.

Watch: Tata Motors in an era of change

Tata Motors Mohan Savarkar describes how manufacturers are adapting their end-to-end processes all whilst meeting aggressive sustainability goals.

Watch: How ZF is empowering people in the transition to producing electrified powertrains

ZF’s Arno Güllering reveals how the tier-1 is upskilling and motivating its workforce in the transition from producing ICE to electrified powertrains.

BMW plant director Weber says flexibility key in Munich overhaul for EV platform

An agile approach has enabled BMW to revamp its downtown Munich factory in anticipation of a new EV architecture without halting production lines, Peter Weber tells the AMS Automotive Evolution Summit.

Watch: Preparing BMW’s Plant Munich for a new class of EV manufacturing

Plant Director Peter Weber demonstrates how BMW is revamping production in Munich ahead of a new EV architecture with a walk through the factory and interview as part of the AMS Automotive Evolution Summit.

Where the Catena-X automotive cloud stands

The vehicle cloud Catena-X intended to provide a more integrated network for automakers and suppliers. In reality, standalone solutions have prevailed so far and made the task of networking the entire auto industry even more strenuous.

Every production challenge has a cloud solution at ZF

Chief digital officer René Deist tells the AMS Evolution Summit how the global tier one supplier is using the cloud to transform manufacturing and better leverage data analytics and artificial intelligence

Factory futures: networked, data-driven, flexibly automated

Manufacturing experts share their vision for current and future automotive production technology, including leaders from Ford, Cognex, Symbio Robotics and Jay Global Techno Alliance

End of conference: evolution and revolution

At the end of the event, it’s clear that automotive manufacturing will see both incremental and radical change, and that the industry will need to work together to adapt

Better than the real thing: digital factory simulations

Increasing production of battery enclosures at scale will be essential to launching EVs in line with targets. ABB’s Patrick Matthews and Zeiss’s Paulo Cruz discuss automation and quality control opportunities.

Day 1 wrap up: now that was electrifying!

After the first half of the AMS Evolution Summit, it is clear that digitalisation, electrification and sustainability are converging in automotive production

Digital twins: Making more of the data

Developments in data management are making digital tools that will support closer cooperation between vehicle engineering and manufacturing operations

A production transformation that will last 20 years at Volkswagen

Christian Vollmer at Volkswagen discusses how virtual tools have helped production move during the pandemic, why cross-plant collaboration has accelerated and VW’s evolving manufacturing strategies to ramp up EV production.

Watch: Vehicle lightweighting rises to the top of the agenda for designers and engineers

This livestream investigates how designers and engineers at Ford, Gestamp and key suppliers are using innovative materials and creating lightweight architectures, including for models like the Ford F-150 Lightning and Maverick compact truck.

The software-defined assembly line

The manufacturing industry is on the cusp of a revolution, where investment is led by software rather than hardware. That in turn enables a raft of new possibilities in creating the factory of the future, according to experts from Audi, ABB and Cosmo Tech.

VR training for assembly operations

Introducing a completely new model to the production line and ramping up to mass production is a challenge. The team at Honda’s East liberty Auto plant have deployed a VR training system to support the assembly line workers with impressive results

People get ready: recruitment and retention in a complex automotive industry

With contributions from Volkswagen, Toyota, BMW and Audi, AMS looks at some of the strategies OEMs are using to attract and retain employees with the skills needed to work in modern digitalised workplaces – and to adapt to cutting-edge developments in hybrid, electric and autonomous vehicles …

Simulate to fabricate: vehicle plants keep VR and AR in their sights

Carmakers are exploring how virtual reality and augmented reality can be used to improve manufacturing and inspection operations

Quick learners

From training, quality and work station design, OEMs are seeing a host of applications that can benefit from virtual and augmented reality technology

Success for Seat

Spain’s biggest exporter has turned its finances around and looks to have a bright future

Augmented assistance

Visit any car manufacturing plant in the world and the majority of production equipment will be similar. The real differences between factories are the human workers and the way in which technology is used to optimise their environment

Collective thinking

Macro ergonomics

Tomorrow's automotive world

Moulding tools for the future

Simulation stimulates Ford's improvement

Flexible philosophy at Ford