BMW Group Plant Regensburg
BMW Group Plant Regensburg utilise artificial intelligence (AI) to improve quality control efficiency levels in vehicle assembly.
BMW Group Plant Regensburg forms part of the GenAI4Q pilot project that aims to utilise artificial intelligence (AI) to improve quality control efficiency levels in vehicle assembly. At its core, the solution should provide tailored inspection recommendations for the 1,400 (approx.) vehicles manufactured each day.
“The use of artificial intelligence supports the digital transformation of BMW Group production towards an intelligently connected factory – for example, we are using AI for quality control in vehicle assembly,” said Armin Ebner, Head of BMW Group Plant Regensburg. “In this way, we are optimising our production processes and creating added value for our products and, ultimately, for our customers.”
The AI-based quality inspection solution was developed at BMW Group Plant Regensburg with Datagon AI.
BMW’s vehicle production
Ensuring that BMW’s vehicles meet high product quality standards, Plant Regensburg completes multiple quality tests throughout the production process. Before vehicles leave the plant, they undergo a final inspection where trained specialists examine the whole vehicle one more time to ensure quality standards are met.
At the plant, a new vehicle rolls off the assembly line every 57 seconds, with each vehicle designed to meet individual customer specification requirements. Vehicles with internal combustion engines, plug-in hybrids, and fully electric models are all manufactured on one production line, as well as a variety of models and equipment variants.
Rüdiger Römich, who’s responsible for Test Floor and Finish in Regensburg’s vehicle assembly, explained, “Our AI tool generates an individual inspection catalogue for each specific customer vehicle.”
How the AI quality inspection works
The AI technology works to analyse the large amount of data created by the custom specifications, including vehicle data (e.g., model and equipment variants), and real-time production data for each specific vehicle.
By recognising patterns and correlations, the AI system will quickly and automatically analyse the scope of the inspection before organising it within a smartphone app. Additionally, the AI capabilities manage speech recognition and transcription, utilising standardised coding.
Römich concluded, “Intuitive usability makes it easy to record findings. Employees can also access additional functions when needed – for example, a microphone icon in the app activates voice recording.”
