At BMW Group’s Hams Hall plant, producing 1.4 million components and 400,000 engines annually generated siloed data and operational inefficiencies. Internal teams managed over 400 custom dashboards, creating fragmented data access.
To resolve this, the plant centralized its data infrastructure and developed a digital twin, integrating 15+ IT systems into a 3D model accessible via smartphones or tablets. The twin provides real-time production insights, streamlining problem-solving and eliminating dashboard clutter.
For maintenance, traditional IoT sensors were costly and time-intensive to implement. Instead, the team deployed Boston Dynamics’ Spot, a mobile robot equipped with thermal cameras, acoustic sensors, and LiDAR for automated inspections. Spot identified data gaps, located air leaks, and simplified maintenance requests through integration with the digital twin.
Spot’s user-friendly design also aligns with BMW’s internship program, enabling quick adoption by students. “Spot completes the loop from inspection to action,” said Brad Tomlinson, Hams Hall’s I&D technical lead.
The combination of the digital twin and Spot has enhanced transparency, efficiency, and maintenance at Hams Hall, setting a benchmark for advanced manufacturing innovation.
