AUDI AG re-equips control center for central vehicle control

Stylish limousines, sporty allrounders and sleek coupes – more than 2,500 cars roll off the production line at the Audi plant in Ingolstadt every day, in 2013 more than 570,000 cars were produced here. To ensure that production never comes to a standstill, more than 30 employees in three shifts ensure that everything runs smoothly. JST – Jungmann Systemtechnik^® – has created the ideal conditions for this. A future-oriented control center has been installed at the Audi plant in Ingolstadt, which makes it possible to control the entire production of the various model series via virtual IT technology. A novelty in the Volkswagen Group, in which the new control center plays a highly regarded pioneering role.

A central control center with a pilot character, which makes it possible to monitor and control the body shop, paint shop and final assembly from a single location – this was the declared goal of the Audi project managers. After precise market analyses, the decision-making bodies have decided in favour of the solutions from JST. Werner Mengert, responsible for IT scopes in the department and project planning: “The JST plans with regard to security and connection technology were perfectly in line with the Audi concept. The aim was not only to make the control center more convenient by outsourcing the computers, “but also to have the security of always being able to maintain an emergency supply in the event of a disaster,” says Mengert.

With regard to the installation there were no problems at all: The connection of the virtual FIS IT systems to the MultiConsoling^® system installed by Jungmann worked without any problems at first go. All important interfaces were precisely described and defined in advance. And also the examination of the concept by the IT security could be passed without objections.

Today, the employees in the new control center follow the complete creation of the cars on large display walls two large screens – from the first sheet metal processing in the body shop, through the control of the individual paint lines, to the control of the final assembly with the final quality check. The vehicle controllers keep an eye on a total of 240 stations and thus monitor and control the entire production process that every Audi passes through in Ingolstadt.

Werner Mengert and his colleagues are enthusiastic about the many advantages of the new control center. These include not only workstations that are perfectly ergonomically designed, but also, for example, technical equipment that enables employees to intuitively grasp the operation. Werner Mengert: “The JST products are really great – everything is clearly laid out, the operation works excellently via drag & drop. Fortunately, thick manuals were superfluous”.

The new control center also benefits significantly from the proactive monitor walls. These can be controlled by the PixelDetection^®software from JST and offer the decisive advantage of not only permanently displaying the same image – instead, the right information is displayed to the employee at the right time in an event-driven manner. An indispensable tool for shortening response times in the control center.

For Werner Mengert in any case, one thing is certain: “Our requirements were perfectly implemented! And the project planner also appreciates the JST service: “The Jungmann service was absolutely outstanding in every phase of the project. Inquiries were always answered immediately and completely”.

Facts and figures

The Audi production site in Ingolstadt is not only the largest production facility of AUDI AG, but also home to the Group headquarters and technical development. The factory premises cover an area of more than 2,700,000 square metres – the equivalent of more than 300 football pitches.

The plant in the center of the Free State of Bavaria was founded in 1949 and today employs 37,400 people (as of December 31, 2013). Audi is thus the largest employer in the region.

The Ingolstadt production site is also home to a special crowd-puller: the Audi Forum, a modern experience and communication platform that attracts more than 400,000 visitors a year.