Digital Plant with 3D Scanning Technology
Practicing BMW iFACTORY Strategy, the Digital Transformation of BMW Shenyang Production Base is Steadily Progressing

• Steadily promoting digital transformation, the 3D environment of BMW Shenyang Base’s all plants will be completed in 2023
• Factory Viewer, matched with 3D scanning, has gone live domestically, now providing the virtual access of 13 BMW plants worldwide and enabling efficient, accurate technology integration

(Shenyang) BMW Brilliance is steadily implementing the BMW iFACTORY production strategy and promoting the digital transformation of its Shenyang production base. BMW Shenyang Base has just started its 3D plant scanning project to create virtual plants with 3D laser scanning technology, so that efficient and accurate data exchange within and outside the BMW Group and swifter, closer coordination among global plants can be enabled. By 2023, all 3D environment of BMW Shenyang Base plants will be completed.

Mr. Robert Kuessel, the Senior Vice President of Technology & Manufacturing, BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd., said, “BMW iFACTORY is the BMW Group's blueprint for future production. At Shenyang production base, BMW's digital transformation in production is progressing. With the help of the innovative 3D scanning technology, our associates can collaborate with the whole BMW production network worldwide efficiently, flexibly, and in real time. This technology also brings additional possibilities of integrating into existing structures. We will continuously keep pace with our strategic transformation and contribute to the digital development of the global BMW production network."

BMW Shenyang plants are to complete 3D scanning in 2023

The BMW Shenyang Base is promoting the digital transformation and upgrading the plants based on the BMW iFACTORY production strategy. A remotely accessible 3D environment of all existing plants is being created, enabling more efficient information interaction and data sharing between the Shenyang production base and global plants. The digital environment of Plant Tiexi will be completed by the end of this year. By 2023, the digital environments of Plant Dadong and Powertrain Plant will be finished to complete the digital transformation of all the plants. At that time, all plants of BMW Shenyang Base will finish taking a huge step forward in terms of future digital planning.

As a vital part of digital planning, 3D scanning allows efficient planning of future plant structures and production facilities, and also enables collaborative work between different locations and time zones. BMW Shenyang Base is thus closer to its future vision of efficient and sustainable production. In the future, the technology will also be used for efficient digital planning and upgrading projects through re-scan and technical upgrades. With the accompanying system, Factory Viewer, the information (alternative: digital twins) of all the BMW Group plants worldwide, including those in China, will be available to associates. Its functions of integrating, browsing and information sharing do not require any other special tools, thus, swifter, more efficient coordination among global plants can be realized. The software went live domestically at the beginning of September and now allows the digital data of the BMW Group's 13 BMW plants worldwide to be viewed.

Street View, Measurement and Point Cloud; three major functions enable efficient information sharing within and outside the company

The control and navigation functions of the Factory Viewer system are comparable to Baidu Street View, presenting realistic panoramic images of selected plants. Associates can select and navigate any plant for an online virtual tour. They can also quickly view important points of production through the search function or points of interest (POI) and compare them with the production scenarios and processes in other plants. This enables closer collaboration and connectivity among the BMW Group's production bases worldwide, as well as swifter sharing of important data between plants. For example, with just a few clicks on Factory Viewer, existing plants can be inspected online. Meanwhile, the software can measure areas as well as equipment and machines with a highly accurate 3D method and supports internal data sharing. The system allows cutting out selected parts or areas using the point cloud function and importing the data and 3D images into other systems. This further saves time and effort during production planning. Not only does it enable precise operation based on need, it also makes internal and external cooperation swifter.

The 3D plant scanning project at BMW Shenyang production base has broadened the channel for more efficient global production collaboration. Directed by BMW iFACTORY production strategy, BMW Shenyang base will continue to accelerate the digital transformation, and contribute to the transformation and upgrading of China’s automotive manufacturing industry.