BMW's Dingolfing Plant Tests Fully Connected Logistics

As part of a three-year research project supported by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, the BMW Group and three partner companies from Bavaria are exploring the possibilities for making BMW Group Plant Dingolfing a smart factory for logistics. The 'Autonomous and Connected Logistics' research project was officially launched in September 2019 and is now entering the practical phase. A number of innovative Industry 4.0 production technologies are being combined in an overall concept and tested under real conditions at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing. The BMW Group is contributing around 4.8 million euros towards the project costs.

The BMW Group is contributing around 4.8 million euros towards the project costs. 

Testing of 5G wireless technology, which, over the course of the project, will be set up at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing as a trial network, will play a key role in linking different logistics solutions. The new mobile telecommunications standard allows large data volumes to be transferred within a very short time. 5G enables real-time connectivity between machinery and equipment.

5G enables real-time connectivity between machinery and equipment.

Within the BMW Group production network, the BMW Brilliance Automotive joint venture has already rolled out the 5G wireless communications network across all its three plants. The long-term goal is to set up a 5G network at all BMW Group plant locations worldwide. Further sub-projects will explore the use of logistics robots, mobile devices and digital displays in the logistics process and test connectivity between different systems.

Peter Kiermaier, head of Logistics Planning at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing: "We also want to use new technologies to increase transparency in conventional processes and enable smooth coupling of manual and autonomous technologies."

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