DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
“A VIRTUALISED SHOP FLOOR IS A KEY ENABLER FOR A FLEXIBLE PRODUCTION”
GERD WALKER, MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT FOR PRODUCTION AND LOGISTICS, AUDI AG
Henning addresses this transition:“ If you are in maintenance and you can touch the PLC, you know it’ s there and you know the safety will work because it has been wired up to that PLC. All of a sudden, you open up the cabinet and the PLC is missing. How do you know the safety is really working?”
Edge infrastructure supports advanced manufacturing applications Virtual controller deployment requires industrial edge computing infrastructure capable of real-time control applications. Traditional automation systems operate with microsecond response requirements, demanding computing platforms that maintain performance under varying conditions.
Audi’ s implementation operates on the company’ s Edge Cloud 4 Production platform, providing computing resources and connectivity for virtual controller operation. This infrastructure supports multiple applications beyond basic automation control, including AI-driven quality inspection systems.
The convergence enables advanced manufacturing capabilities that traditional controllers cannot support. Audi implemented AI-powered weld spatter detection using Siemens Industrial AI Suite technology alongside virtual controllers. The system processes high-resolution images during car body assembly to identify quality issues requiring correction.
This integration demonstrates how virtual automation platforms enable applications that exceed traditional PLC processing capabilities.
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