Embotech and BMW Group have announced that they have moved one million vehicles using automated driving technology across four BMW Group production sites in the UK and Germany, marking, they say, a major milestone in the use of Automated Driving In-Plant in industrial production.
Together, BMW Group and Embotech have brought the Automated Driving In-Plant solution to approximately 3,500 vehicle movements a day, with more than 99.5% availability.
Embotech provides key technology components for the Automated Driving In-Plant solution. These include the company’s AI-based software for perception, prediction and planning, which enables vehicles to operate in complex industrial environments, and a separate, deterministic safety architecture, independently certified by TÜV Süd, which defines and enforces the safety boundary.
From pilot project to practical solutions
What began as a pilot in 2022 has expanded to four BMW Group production sites: Dingolfing, Leipzig and Regensburg in Germany, and Mini Plant Oxford in the UK. Embotech’s technology supports various automated vehicle-movement applications within designated production and logistics areas across the sites.
BMW Group said that taking a working pilot into 24/7 production demonstrates its ability to integrate and scale Automated Driving In-Plant across its production network, alongside the technology and operational capability needed to keep automated systems running reliably. As technology partner, Embotech has worked closely with BMW Group to develop supporting tools and processes for deployment, monitoring, diagnosis and recovery. Operational experience supports the continuous improvement of Embotech’s perception, prediction and planning software and product development.
Andreas Kyrtatos, the CEO of Embotech, said, “Automated vehicle movements only create value when intelligence, safety and reliability come together. This milestone shows what is possible when proven technology is integrated into live production and operated reliably around the clock.
“What excites us over and above the one million milestone is the pace at which that experience is compounding. With BMW Group, we completed the first 500,000 automated vehicle movements in 15 months and the next 500,000 in just seven. For Embotech, the next phase is about taking what we have learned into more use cases, sites, customers and industrial environments.”
Raymond Wittmann, the member of the board of management of BMW AG responsible for production, commented, “One million vehicles moved using automated driving technology and the deployment of this technology at four sites to date demonstrates the innovative strength and scaling capabilities of our production network. We recognized the potential of Automated Driving In-Plant early, tested it in a pilot phase and systematically developed it to series maturity. We are now rolling out this technology worldwide.”
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