What Bimmer enthusiasts love about BMW is its unique combination of old-world charm and tech-forward culture. Few things embody this fact as well as the German brand’s leadership in Industry 4.0.
BMW is years away from fully realizing its vision of tomorrow’s car production. But the evolution of the automaker’s manufacturing process is gaining steam. Discover the four mind-blowing ways the home of Bimmer innovatively uses automation to celebrate its century-old tradition of excellence.
1. Supercharging Quality Control With Artificial Intelligence (AI)
BMW envisions this emerging technology to streamline every aspect of its car production over the long term. Quality control is one of the first areas to become AI-supported.
The auto manufacturer press shop in Dingolfing, Germany, uses AI-powered software for component inspection. The self-learning program only needs to study 100 employee-picked images of parts with a microcrack or pseudo defect — like dust and oil droplets — to understand what problem components look like. Once ready, it can assess live images in milliseconds and identify the ones with errors so human employees can sort them out accordingly.
AI also plays a vital role in BMW’s closed-loop stud welding process in a plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. AI-powered robots meticulously weld half a million studs onto vehicle frames daily. The computer detects stud placement errors and tells bots to make the necessary adjustments to finish the task precisely without human intervention.
At BMW’s Munich plant, AI complements surface inspection technology to catch specks of dust and other customer-relevant defects on a vehicle’s topcoat.
The computer’s algorithm detects particulate matter indoors by comparing live data captured by dust particle sensors and information gleaned from automated optical inspection tools. AI’s findings inform employees whether to replace air pump filters to minimize the contaminants that can ruin a Bimmer’s paint job.
2. Improving Production Logistics With Autonomous Systems
Autonomous logistics underpins the BMW iFACTORY — a futuristic factory optimized for digitalization, efficiency and sustainability. Automated Driving In-Plant offers a glimpse of what this ultramodern production floor looks like.
Automated Driving In-Plant moves Bimmers in production along a predetermined route using cloud architecture. BMW blends lidar sensors, digital model environments and a motion planner to guide the movements of automobiles — regardless of specifications — throughout the facility without human intervention.
The automaker launched this pilot project at its largest European plant in 2022. After years of testing, Automated Driving In-Plant has earned CE certification and is ready for series production.
BMW aims to implement this technology in all facilities within its production network. It also plans to expand its use into outdoor distribution areas and other production environments.
Moreover, the automobile manufacturer is considering various innovations to enable autonomous logistics in the BMW iFactory. The company is cautious about adopting and implementing mobile robots because it lives by its guiding principles for dealing with digital technology.
The automaker goes beyond adherence to internationally recognized safety standards — like the ANSI B56.5 by the American National Standards Institute — when choosing guided industrial vehicles and autonomous in-plant transport systems. It also prioritizes human oversight, data control, cybersecurity, traceability and transparency.
3. Enabling Toolless Manufacturing With 3D Printing
In 2023, BMW 3D-printed more than 400,000 components — about three-fourths of them took shape at the company’s Additive Manufacturing Campus in Oberschleissheim, Germany.
The auto group has integrated 3D printing into its auto production for more than 30 years. However, the construction of this learning center in 2020 speaks volumes about BMW’s commitment to taking the technology to new heights and showing the auto industry what’s possible with toolless manufacturing.
Aside from fabricating prototypes and series components with dozens of industrial systems for processing plastics and metals, the facility is also home to researchers of 3D technologies and associates in training.
In 2024, BMW made history when its 3D-printed center console carrier won the top Automotive Award from the Society of Plastics Engineers, marking the first time a 3D-printed component earned this prestigious recognition.
This distinction validates the German carmaker’s efforts in pushing the envelope of additive manufacturing, which could make it possible to custom-design vehicles from the ground up someday.
4. Mapping Future Manufacturing Structures With Virtual Reality (VR)
BMW uses 3D human simulation to visualize the new assembly lines for the Neue Klasse class of electric vehicles. The company leverages VR to map complex manufacturing structures in digital twins and create comprehensive virtual simulations of employees working in production.
The automaker taps the NVIDIA Omniverse Enterprise platform to power this ambitious project, consisting of more than 1,000 square meters — or over 10,000 square feet — of assembly space with a complete line section with 41 operating cycles.
This immersive technology allows BMW to build ergonomic manufacturing facilities and shorten the learning phase of employees as they transition into the assembly line.
BMW — A Trailblazer in Car Production Automation
The German automaker’s foray into automation is worth commending and emulating. Considering how dedicated BMW is to elevating its car manufacturing process, Bimmer enthusiasts have plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future.