The start of production for the new iX1 means BMW Group Plant Regensburg is now making all drive technologies on a single line as part of its flexible production process – for combustion-engine, plug-in hybrid and fully-electric models.
As announced almost two years ago, all German plants can now produce electric cars. By 2024, one in three BMWs from Bavarian plants will be electric
The Regensburg plant, 124km north-east of BMW's headquarters in Munich, is a trailblazer for digitalisation.
As part of a recent pilot project, the plant was digitally mapped. The resulting digital twin enables highly efficient planning of future plant structures and production facilities.
The plant’s paint shop, for instance, relies on artificial intelligence: paint surfaces are scanned to ensure flawless quality and then finished using a fully-automated programme customised for each vehicle.
Artificial intelligence is also used in vehicle assembly – specifically, AI-supported image recognition methods that assist employees with quality inspections.
The AIQX (Artificial Intelligence Quality Next) computer system that is used for this learns to recognise objects such as a person from sample images, making it a useful supplement to conventional, camera-based quality inspections.
Predictive maintenance ensures that technical faults, e.g. in conveyor systems, are detected early, before system downtimes can occur. Installations and machinery are monitored through automated evaluation of process data.
To date, €1.6 billion (RM7.7bil) invested in electric components at German sites in Dingolfing, Leipzig and Regensburg. Over 3,300 employees work in BMW Group electric component production at those sites.
