Audi has made a notable advancement in factory automation with the introduction of its first virtual programmable logic controller (vPLC) at the Boellinger Höfe manufacturing site in Germany. This step is part of the company’s Edge Cloud 4 Production (EC4P) initiative, which utilizes VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) to integrate software-defined infrastructure and centralized IT operations within the industrial setting.
The Boellinger Höfe facility, known for producing the all-electric Audi e-tron GT, is the inaugural site to implement the vPLC as part of this initiative. The goal is to bridge the gap between information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) by transitioning from traditional, hardware-reliant industrial PCs to a virtualized, cloud-native solution. By deploying VCF, Audi can centralize critical production system management, minimizing dependency on physical hardware, simplifying software updates, and improving cybersecurity measures, while also addressing environmental concerns.
With vPLCs, Audi can control production robotics and automation via virtual machines or containers, thus offering flexibility comparable to cloud-native IT environments. This virtualized setup enables centralized and efficient management of software patches, feature upgrades, and configurations, negating the need for manual onsite interventions across numerous devices.
Gerd Walker, a board member at Audi responsible for production, highlighted that this transformation is crucial to the company’s broader 360factory strategy, which focuses on data-driven and efficient manufacturing. He commented, “The use of virtual programmable logic controllers in the body shop is a significant productivity leap. We aim to take advantage of advancements in digital control systems while implementing local cloud solutions across all plants.”
Sven Müller, the project lead for EC4P at Audi, emphasized the importance of their collaboration with Broadcom in establishing the necessary infrastructure for this transformation. “Together, we’re raising the bar for accuracy, personalization, and environmental sustainability,” he stated, reaffirming that replacing numerous distributed industrial PCs with a scalable, edge-connected architecture will significantly reduce their hardware footprint.
The VMware Cloud Foundation now serves as the private cloud hosting various essential factory workloads, including virtual worker stations and vPLCs. Previously tied to industrial PCs, virtual desktops can now operate as virtual machines remotely, facilitating maintenance and allowing for rapid software updates across the board without disrupting operations during shift changes.
Paul Turner, vice president of product management at VMware Cloud Foundation, spoke about this architecture’s impact on modernizing industrial settings. He noted, “[VMware Cloud Foundation] provides Audi with a scalable and reliable method to run distributed edge infrastructure, enhance resource management, and lower operating costs.” This results in improved uptime and agility, and accelerates the deployment of new tools and applications within the production line.
Audi anticipates multiple operational and environmental advantages from the EC4P initiative, including the establishment of standardized infrastructure for shop floor applications, reduced downtime through intelligent telemetry and automated updates, greater scalability for adapting production lines, and less energy consumption along with decreased electronic waste due to a reduced hardware footprint. Furthermore, the framework enhances security features with centralized patching and immutable snapshots for swift recovery during cyber incidents.
Looking to the future, Audi plans to broaden EC4P use cases to encompass AI-driven analytics, data-heavy applications, and computer vision technologies for quality assessment. The company views EC4P as a blueprint for future global factory implementations, showcasing how cloud technologies can be tailored for industrial applications to enhance efficiency, cut costs, and expedite digital transformation on the production floor.
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