According to foreign media CNBC reports, BMW said that the company recently deployed artificial intelligence technology at its Spartanburg plant, which it said “can save $1 million per year”.
It is reported that BMW did not disclose the name of the artificial intelligence tool, but simply stated that the tool is “mainly aimed at the company’s production workshop” and can play a role in “optimizing the manufacturing process, improving efficiency, reducing waste and predicting equipment failure”.
▲ Picture source CNBC
The BMW Group said that the body shop has already realized automation based on robotic arms, and each SUV passing the production line needs to use robotic arms to weld 300 to 400 metal studs. BMW said that compared with traditional workers, the robotic arm has higher production efficiency and lower error rate, and the task of AI in the workshop is to detect possible problems during the welding process of the robotic arm, thereby replacing the original special personnel and reducing labor costs.
BMW Group manager Curtis Tingle said in an interview with foreign media that if the AI detects a wrong bolt position, the AI system will automatically tell the robotic arm to fix it. The system allows BMW to remove six workers from the production line, saving the company more than $1 million a year.
BMW also said that the current company has also introduced AI to improve its quality control process. Camille Roberts, the company’s head of IT projects, said 26 cameras installed on the production line floor will take pictures of various parts of the vehicle as it rolls off the assembly line. AI will then analyze the pictures and determine whether there is room for improvement in quality control.
At present, many industries are applying AI to reduce human input in the production line. Although these measures to optimize the manufacturing process are quite beneficial to the company’s profitability, human resources themselves will face the risk of being eliminated.
