Shopfloor tools: Human-centric digitalisation in production In this AMS livestream, we explored trends and opportunities in manufacturing user technologies - including AR/VR, cobots, IoT, exoskeletons, computer vision and AGVs - and how they’re reshaping daily operations, enabling smarter decisions, and strengthening the human-machine relationship.
Hybrid vehicles return to North America’s production lines as automakers rethink strategy Automakers that once aimed to skip hybrids and go straight to electric vehicles are now reintegrating hybrids into their North American line-ups. Building “half-and-half” cars is proving technically tricky but strategically worthwhile. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Software-defined vehicles are transforming value creation, customer models, and strategies across the automotive industry, from BMW to Stellantis and NXP It’s now time to take a more holistic view of software-defined vehicles (SDVs). After all, they involve completely new business models. Who is pursuing which strategy? By Andrea Hoffmann-Topp
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 Ilkhan Ozsevim
Will Volkswagen’s surplus German plants become Chinese production operations? As European vehicle makers continue to face challenging global markets and increased costs, many are having to make difficult decisions around underutilised production operations. Ian Henry looks at how Chinese OEMs could potentially buy or utilise some of Volkswagen’s production sites. Ian Henry
Audi is transforming vehicle production with AI-powered image processing, eliminating errors and setting new standards for quality control and smart factory innovation Artificial intelligence is accelerating transformation in automotive production. Audi’s Industrial Computer Vision is proving how AI-driven image processing enhances quality control, minimises defects and paves the way for scalable smart factory innovation. Ronja Schmiedchen
China: Fierce domestic competition sees international brands suffer lower sales and a contraction of output As China’s domestic brands consolidate and grow both at home and internationally, the international brands, which have benefited from growth in the Chinese market over the years, now face serious headwinds. Ian Henry
Mexico’s automotive industry is a balancing act between foreign investment and domestic concerns While the US government encourages domestic production, Mexico continues to attract foreign automotive investment. The trend is particularly evident in the arrival of Chinese manufacturers, poised to have a significant impact on regional production. Ian Henry
How cobots can support automotive production Cobots enrich the industry with their ability to complete tasks in close cooperation with humans and are becoming increasingly intelligent thanks to modern technologies. This article takes a look at the different types of robots, and their benefits to the industry. Ronja Schmiedchen Werner Beutnagel
Audi’s electric hopes rest on Györ Györ plays a special role in Audi’s production network. Just as important as the approximately 176,000 vehicles produced each year are the almost 1.7 million drives produced. Now Györ must make the transition to electromobility. Werner Beutnagel
Audi may close Brussels plant amid low demand for its Q8 e-tron EV Audi is contemplating the early closure of its Brussels plant as demand for its Q8 e-tron drops sharply. This move could impact up to 3,000 employees, marking a significant shift in response to declining electric vehicle sales and high production costs at the facility. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Geoffrey Bouquot is appointed into newly created position as Audi’s board member for Innovation and software-defined vehicle Audi appoints Geoffrey Bouquot as board member for Innovation and Software-Defined Vehicle, driving its push for greater digitisation and focus on software centralisation Ilkhan Ozsevim
Audi’s Brussels revolutionises sustainability with freshwater reduction initiative To reduce waste and energy consumption paintshops are deploying a range of strategies, innovative processes and materials to meet new sustainability targets. Report by Mike Farish Mike Farish
Impacts of global geopolitics on European production Geopolitical influences on the automotive manufacturing sector are intensifying and becoming ever more powerful. European trends cannot be looked at in isolation; their impact on the ground in Europe have their roots in wider global factors… Ian Henry
“We have a clear strategy towards electromobility”: Gerd Walker, Audi Gerd Walker controls production and logistics on the Audi board. In this interview, he explains how Audi flexibly and digitally designs the production network and what role the target image of the 360factory plays. Götz Fuchslocher
How the Audi Q6 e-tron series is proof of the OEMs flexible and sustainable vehicle production ecosystem Audi’s Ingolstadt plant pioneers sustainable manufacturing with net-zero emissions, showcasing flexible integration and cutting-edge technology: Q6 e-tron leads the way Ilkhan Ozsevim
Green Revolution: How renewable energy is fuelling sustainable automotive manufacturing Adopting renewable energy in automotive production requires a comprehensive strategy, integrating solar, wind, biogas and electric solutions to drive sustainability and mitigate environmental impact effectively. OEMs, strategies and technologies are converging on different approaches to achieve sustainability goals across regions. Here are some notweworthy projects to keep an eye on… Ilkhan Ozsevim
BYD to establish passenger car production in Europe BYD has chosen Szeged, Hungary as the location for its first passenger car production facility in Europe Nick Holt
AMS Winter 2023/24 – BMW’s battery boost Our Winter digital edition takes an in-depth look at how OEMs are getting to grips with developing and manufacturing new electric vehicles and powertrains AMS
VW and Audi strengthen partnership with SAIC and Xpeng to expand EV production and development in China for China strategy Volkswagen invests $700m in Xpeng and will partner on tech and platform, while Audi expands partnership with SAIC and will produce vehicles on one of its platforms. Ilkhan Ozsevim
India’s light vehicle demand is rising again, and so is manufacturing investment India has long been seen as the next big thing in automotive manufacturing, due to its growing middle class and high demand for vehicles, but it has struggled to get there. Will new investment help it realise its potential? Ian Henry
Bentley appoints Andreas Lehe as new Board Member for Manufacturing Andreas Lehe joins Bentley as Board Member for Manufacturing, commencing 1 September and replaces Peter Bosch, who moved to CARIAD as CEO in June. Lehe will report directly to Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and CEO. Nick Holt
Audi leads manufacturing skills transformation as it launches first EV from Ingolstadt plant Audi’s launch of the all-electric Q6 e-tron series has catalysed a major reskilling project, as the shift to e-mobility is demanding skills development. Other manufacturers, such as ZF, have also been cultivating internal talent. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Audi’s ‘Edge Cloud 4 Production’ ecosystem launches into serial production Edge Cloud 4 Production (EC4P) is an IT-based production system that leverages both Edge and Cloud technology to digitise the automotive production landscape. Ilkhan Ozsevim
Audi uses AI for quality control of spot welds Audi is using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve its quality control in spot welds in car body construction. Megan Kelly
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. AMS
Neckarsulm – Audi’s plant prepares for more electric vehicles Audi’s Neckarsulm plant manager Fred Schulze discusses sustainability and digitalisation, and shares some insights into the transformation of the factory and its importance within the Audi production network Michael Nash
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
Re-evaluating recycled materials Carmakers are increasingly looking into ways of reducing the environmental impact of their vehicle manufacture – and one way to do this is by using more recycled materials in their cars. But how can they go about this? James Bakewell
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. AMS
China: European, US and Japanese Vehicle Manufacturers rebalance production and supply chains AMS looks at the changing role of the Chinese operations of European and other long established brands’ operations in China and their changing roles in the global auto sector Ian Henry
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. Christopher Ludwig
Tools for progress: real-time tracking and monitoring in Audi’s toolmaking The carmaker’s Toolmaking 4.0 system is bringing greater visibility of suppliers and potential disruption of machines and operations at tool shops, with high productivity gains. Christopher Ludwig
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 Christopher Ludwig
Going green: Self-generating electricity on-site When it comes to production in the automotive industry, companies including Ford and Audi are increasingly looking at how they can source the energy they use in a more environmentally efficient way. One way to do this is by generating electricity on-site Mike Farish
Audi plans for future production Audi says it’s all in on electromobility, planning to launch only all-electric models from 2026, and gradually phasing out production of its combustion engine models by 2033 AMS
AMS Automotive Evolution Europe – a review from Munich 2022 The first AMS Evolution Europe Summit explored how the region’s automotive industry is transitioning away from internal combustion engine vehicles, with experts from BMW, Audi, ZF CATL and more discussing speeding time to market, greater agility in production, factory conversion and boosting battery cell manufacturing in the region Michael Nash
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. Christopher Ludwig
Transforming plant and production processes - interview with Rüdiger Eck, Audi Following the opening session ‘Data at the heart of Europe’s manufacturing evolution’, Christopher Ludwig caught up with Rüdiger Eck, Director of Data Governance and Analytics for Digital Production, AUDI AG to continue the conversation. Christopher Ludwig
Data at the heart of Europe’s manufacturing evolution Rüdiger Eck at Audi, Timothy McGrath, at BMW and Karthik Krishnamurthy at AWS joined the opening session of Automotive Evolution Europe which focused on opportunities in data analytics, artificial intelligence, digital simulation, cloud services and the digital tools that support them. Christopher Ludwig
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. Peter Murphy
Automotive battery manufacturing and supply chain 2022: Risks, regulation and resiliency The latest AMS battery report forecasts production capacity, analyses suppliers and materials, and shows why OEMs and suppliers are forging new partnerships Daniel Harrison
Cars à la carte – Audi trials modular production to control customisation costs The German premium carmaker is applying the efficiency focus that has fine-tuned production lines over many years to the more bespoke tasks in modular assembly as EV and supply complexity increases. AMS visited Audi’s Ingolstadt plant for a chance to see the technology in action. Peter Murphy
Volkswagen launches battery cell-making company PowerCo PowerCo could produce enough cells for 3m electric vehicles a year by 2030 across six ‘standardised’ European gigafactories. Peter Murphy
The application of AI One company where the concept of artificial intelligence (AI) is not futuristic or speculative, but a key element in real manufacturing development and application projects is Audi. Mike Farish
It all adds up to zero – counting the ways to net carbon zero manufacturing Sustainability leaders from Audi and Lear explain how the companies are working across the value chain to decarbonise manufacturing AMS
EV battery supply chains on the move As electric vehicles become serious business for OEMs, they are reassessing their battery supply and manufacturing bases, putting their eggs in multiple baskets and taking more control of the process. Illya Verpraet Daniel Harrison
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. Illya Verpraet
Watch: Factory of the future Livestream – The software-defined assembly line As automotive OEMs digitalise and connect factories, hear how the Audi Production Lab, ABB and Cosmotech are using real-time data, smart software and advanced automation to reshape vehicle production processes. AMS
How the European automotive industry aims to build back semiconductor and chip supply OEMs, suppliers and EU officials are considering how best to develop Europe’s semiconductor manufacturing to mitigate current and future shortages, but the broad gaps at many levels – including for older, larger chips – mean there will be no magic bullet Namrita Chow
Playing catch-up in plastics recycling for automotive production A closed loop for plastics in the automotive industry has so far been a distant dream, as an unmanageable variety of mixed materials makes recycling them into new high-quality materials unviable. Fortunately, there are some promising new approaches on the horizon. Chris Löwer Illya Verpraet
Audi introduces closed-loop systems for aluminium, wastewater and plastic Audi has detailed how it is introducing closed-loop systems to its plants as part of its goal to make all its five plants carbon-neutral by 2025. This includes aluminium, wastewater and a pilot project for chemical recycling of plastics. Illya Verpraet
Audi activates virtual tools for production site planning Manufacturing site layouts are being captured digitally for planners to explore the advantages of virtual models Gareth Price
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 … Abigail Williams
Audi mobile maintenance app keeps Ingolstadt in the know Maintenance teams at the Ingolstadt factory have a new app on test, developed an inhouse to provide live updates from across the assembly process direct to their smartphones Mike Farish
Exoskeleton trials underway at Audi Audi has begun testing the ergonomic benefits of exoskeleton systems for workers at its Ingolstadt plant Gareth Price
Two become one in the Audi paintshop Saving time, resources and environment impact, the OEM has introduced new overspray-free paintshop technology that can apply two colours in one process Gareth Price
