AI / ML
of the industrial metaverse . The group ’ s production network is poised to benefit from the digital transformation opportunities brought by Omniverse .
“ In the past , reconfiguring production lines incurred substantial expenses and production downtime ,” says von Reiche . “ To solve this , BMW is using Omniverse to design an end-to-end digital twin of an entire factory . Thousands of planners , product engineers and facility managers can collaborate in a single virtual environment to design , plan , simulate and optimise extremely complex manufacturing systems before a factory is built or a new product is integrated into a production line .”
The results here are remarkable : von Reiche highlights a 30 % boost in planning efficiency , reduced planning durations , and heightened flexibility and precision .
“ OpenUSD and its applications have also revolutionised the way Mercedes-Benz operates its manufacturing and assembly facilities ,” he describes . “ The company adopted a ‘ digital first ’ approach with the ambition of boosting the flexibility and resilience of its production system . As Mercedes-Benz is rolling out its nextgeneration vehicle portfolio into its manufacturing sites , the challenge is to adapt facilities worldwide . Starting with plants in Hungary , Germany and China , the automaker reduced coordination processes by 50 %, which lays the foundation for the global rollout of the technology .”
At a tough time for businesses , with manufacturers grappling with inflation , supply chain disruptions , labour shortages , and sustainability commitments , it can be tempting to resist or at least slow down the deployment of new technologies
“ The market for the metaverse will grow , with more designers and creators building digital items and complex systems in virtual worlds first and only then in the physical world ”
LUDWIG VON REICHE MANAGING DIRECTOR , NVIDIAA GMBH
in these times . “ But the reality is that technologies like the industrial metaverse hold enormous potential to improve efficiency , competitiveness and ultimately , profitability ,” von Reiche explains . “ The market for the metaverse will grow , with more designers and creators building digital items and complex systems in virtual worlds first and only then in the physical world . Just as the web did , virtual worlds will spark many new economies that are larger than our current physical economy .”
142 December 2023