IBS AG excellence, collaboration, manufacturing
EANS-News: IBS AG excellence, collaboration, manufacturing
IBS Revolutionises
Car Manufacturing with New Real-Time Location Identification System (LIS)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corporate news transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer/originator is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Company Information Hoehr-Grenzhausen (euro adhoc) - IBS Revolutionises Car Manufacturing with New Real-Time Location Identification System (LIS) Höhr-Grenzhausen, 29th September 2011 - A new agreement between BMW, IBS and Ubisense extending the deployment of the real-time location identification system (LIS) across the global vehicle manufacturing facilities of BMW. The LIS system comprises the IBS communication platform and Ubisense identification tags. Under the contract, IBS and its software partner Ubisense will expand the LIS roll-out that is already delivering significant productivity improvements at two of BMW's eight vehicle assembly plants. The solution will be implemented at three additional BMW assembly lines in Asia, Europe and the United States over the next nine months. The LIS integrated RTLS-based solution, specially developed for BMW combines best-in-class ultra-wideband radio tags and sensors with advanced quality management and traceability software, bringing the production process a step closer to Six Sigma and the vision of complete traceability. The technology tracks individual vehicles through on-line and off-line final assembly. It determines the identity and location of each car in the assembly facility and, based on the proximity of the vehicles to both fixed and mobile equipment such as tools and scanners, programs and controls the devices. Delivering unprecedented levels of accuracy and reliability for an RTLS-based solution, the system improves quality and enables line operatives to work more efficiently, achieving time-saving, process safeguarding, Zero Defects and cost reduction. In 2008 Ubisense and IBS deployed LIS on a 1.8 km long assembly line at BMW's Regensburg plant in Germany. In 2010, LIS went live on the new X3 assembly line at BMW Spartanburg in South Carolina, U.S.A. - home to the company's SUV range. With both installations the solution will now be deployed in 2011 at plants in Shenyang, China; on the X5 and X6 production line in Spartanburg; and at the dedicated Mini plant in Oxford, U.K. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ How the technology works: Vehicle assembly is a complex process - particularly at plants where different models are manufactured on the same line. At BMW Regensburg, Series 1 and Series 3 vehicles are assembled alongside Z4 Roadsters. With each model built to exact customer specifications and travelling along the production line, more or less in the order of purchase, assembly line operatives have to identify the next vehicle at their station quickly and accurately in order to select the right component or tool setting and complete the work necessary in the seconds they have available. Previously, operatives identified vehicles using hand-held scanners and paper barcode labels, which were attached to the bonnet of each car. They then had to take their DC tool to the correct location on the vehicle and wait for the correct settings to load before starting work - a time-consuming process in a manufacturing environment where every second counts. Working with BMW, IBS and Ubisense have automated this process within the BMW IT environment, shaving valuable seconds off assembly line operations. The RTLS tags now replace the barcodes on car bonnets and have been fixed to Direct Current (DC) programmable tools. As the cars move through the plant, the tags communicate their location via ultra-wide band radio to sensors located along the production line. The sensors instantly relay this data via a local area network (LAN) to LIS, which is integrated with the BMW IT environment. Running under SAP, the BMW IT environment comprises the so-called "communication machine" (KM), the Integrated Production System (IPS) and the Automotive Production System (APS). LIS determines when the tools enter the pre-defined work zones around each moving vehicle, identifying the vehicle and generating a "positive event". This prompts the APS to automatically load the correct vehicle-specific program to the operative's tool so the next job can be performed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "The Location Information System (LIS) developed and standardised by IBS - along with BMW and Ubisense - is unique worldwide. The tool presents us with a vital unique selling point. We are absolutely delighted that BMW AG has now decided in favour of a solution roll-out at further production plants in Asia, Europe and in the USA.", says Dr. Klaus-Juergen Schroeder, Chief Executive Officer of IBS AG." Richard Green, CEO of Ubisense, said: "Extending our agreement is a major endorsement of the Ubisense solution, demonstrating the quality improvements as well as time and cost savings it can deliver. Working with IBS, we are delighted to have forged a long-term partnership with BMW and look forward to working with the company to drive forward new efficiencies at its global manufacturing sites." About IBS: IBS AG, Hoehr-Grenzhausen, is a leading supplier of cross-company standard software systems and consulting services for industrial quality, production, traceability and compliance management. In keeping with the Company philosophy "The Productivity Advantage", IBS AG´s Best Practice solutions achieve a sustainable increase in corporate productivity. IBS customers receive the support of a team of experienced consultants and specialists throughout each phase of the project and beyond. Founded in 1982, IBS AG employs approximately 200 personnel in Europe and the USA. The Company is listed in the Prime Standard of the German Stock Exchange in Frankfurt/Main (ISIN DE0006228406) and is also member of the GEX-German Entrepreneurial Index. IBS AG software installations amount to over 4,000 worldwide and can be found at companies such as Audi, Beam Global, BMW, BorgWarner, BOSCH, Caterpillar, Daimler, Electronic Networks, FCI Automotive, Kimberly Clark, KEIPER, Liebherr, Magna Automotive, Kautex Textron, Parker Hannifin, Procter & Gamble, Rock Tenn, Porsche, Siemens, SMA Solar Technology, ThyssenKrupp and W.L. Gore. Further inquiry note: Contact details: Stefan Ströder Public Relations IBS AG THE PRODUCTIVITY ADVANTAGE excellence, collaboration, manufacturing Rathausstr. 56 56203 Höhr-Grenzhausen GERMANY Phone: +49 2624 9180-475 Fax: +49 2624 9180-670 Mobil: +49 1511 4024-253 Videokonferenz: +49 2624 9434210 Email: Stefan.Stroeder@ibs-ag.de Web: http://www.ibs-ag.de end of announcement euro adhoc -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- company: IBS AG excellence, collaboration, manufacturing Rathausstrasse 56 D-56203 Hoehr-Grenzhausen phone: +49(0)2624 9180-424 FAX: +49(0)2624 9180-966 mail: investorrelations@ibs-ag.de WWW: http://www.ibs-ag.de sector: Software ISIN: DE0006228406 indexes: CDAX stockmarkets: regulated dealing/prime standard: Frankfurt, free trade: Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, München language: English