Audi’s Production Revolution

Digitalization and automation are transforming the landscape of manufacturing.  Factory floors are no longer just about rows of machines and assembly lines; they're becoming intelligent ecosystems that leverage cutting-edge technologies to boost efficiency, reduce costs, and open doors to new possibilities.

At Siemens, we're thrilled to be part of Audi's journey in virtualizing shop floor automation. Together, we're making production faster, more robust, and more flexible with our cutting-edge virtual PLC.

On the Path to IT-based Production

The Ingolstadt-based automotive manufacturer aims for a stable and consistently available production facility where as many cars as possible can be built. To speed up the integration of innovations from the IT world and facilitate continuous optimization of production – in keeping with the motto “Vorsprung durch Technik ” – production needs to become more IT-oriented.

Audi is primarily challenged by the fact that many different devices are being used. To adapt production to the increasing demand, more hardware devices have to be purchased. However, delivery periods are becoming longer. In many cases, updates can only be installed manually, and maintenance is extremely costly, but both are necessary to guarantee cybersecurity. Power consumption is also high. The greater the number of hardware devices in use, the more power is required, reducing a plant’s energy efficiency.

To meet these challenges, IT and OT in production need to be merged – and this is made possible by virtualizing the shop floor.

The Shop Floor goes Digital

Their software-based infrastructure, Edge Cloud 4 Production, draws inspiration from data centers. This setup ensures a consistent foundation for all applications, revolutionizing shop floor automation. Our SIMATIC S7-1500V virtual PLC plays a key role in this transformation.

“The virtual PLC represents a revolution in automation engineering and industry, making it possible to totally rethink a factory and its infrastructure.” - Sven Müller , Project Manager, Edge Cloud 4 Production at AUDI AG

Why Virtual PLCs are a Game Changer

As a long-term partner for automation systems, Siemens was one of Audi’s first contacts in 2019 when the goal was to transform the vision of the virtualized shop floor into a concept. Software-driven factory automation is only feasible with a corresponding controller solution. Audi needed a virtual PLC compatible with the new Edge Cloud 4 Production platform that could be seamlessly integrated into the existing automation environment.

The virtual PLC was officially introduced in the spring of 2023. At that time, Audi was already starting to convert its first assembly plant to Edge Cloud 4 Production – the basis for the initial deployment of the virtual PLC. The cloud finally went live in July 2023.

Preparations for implementing the virtual PLC began immediately after that. This required an extremely close collaboration between Audi, Siemens, and other technology partners. The work paid off: since January 2024, two virtual PLCs have been successfully deployed on the Audi e-tron GT axle assembly line in Audi’s Böllinger Höfe factory at its Neckarsulm location.

Benefits for Audi

• Familiar Tools, New Power: Audi employees continue using familiar interfaces and functions, ensuring an easy transition despite the significant tech upgrade.
• Centralized Management: With a unified infrastructure, digital management becomes streamlined. Central and remote operations enhance cybersecurity and simplify plant management.
• Instant Adaptability: Deploying the virtual PLC as software means no more waiting for hardware deliveries. New instances can be downloaded, updates and new apps can be rolled out plant-wide with just a few clicks.

Close collaboration

In addition to the technological hurdles, there were also many organizational challenges to be overcome at Audi. Employees and management had to be won over to the idea of IT-based factory automation, the functionality of the virtual PLC had to be demonstrated, and responsibilities had to be assigned. An independent Edge Cloud 4 Production team was established that allowed IT experts to closely collaborate with OT specialists. Thanks to extensive testing at the plant and the excellent alignment between the IT and OT teams, Audi and Siemens were able to successfully commission the new technology.

After initial considerations of how IT-based production should be designed, it quickly became clear that a large-scale concept was required. However, it took about three years to evaluate its feasibility and perform the associated tests. This period was necessary for defining requirements, testing conditions, and talking to the manufacturers of the necessary components. This way, the virtual PLC project partners were already benefitting from one another early on: Audi from Siemens’ expertise in the field of automation engineering and Siemens from Audi’s constant feedback. The technologies also had to be modified: for example, to establish the real-time capability of the lower-level infrastructure.

“Naturally, employees were initially skeptical and expressed reservations. This was our motivation for making the rollout planning for the overall project as detailed and predictable as possible.” - Robin Fallmann Audi, Production Planning Automation Engineering at Aud

The initial commissioning was only the beginning

With the successful initial implementation of the virtual PLC, Siemens and Audi achieved an important milestone in their collaboration. But this success was just the starting point. Over the next few years, both the virtual controller and the cloud-based infrastructure continue to be developed, tested, and rolled out.

This article was initially published on Siemens Stories.