Mercedes-Benz taps into NVIDIA Omniverse digital twin technology

September 25, 2023 – Mercedes-Benzrecently announced a partnership with NVIDIA to utilizeNVIDIA Omniverse's digital twin capabilities. According to Mercedes-Benz, the partnership introduces new production technologies, puts its next-generation models into manufacturing plants in Rastatt, Germany; Kecskemét, Hungary; and Beijing, China, and provides blueprints for more than 30 plants around the world.

NVIDIAofOmniverse是一个用于开发通用场景描述（OpenUSD）应用程序的平台，用于设计、协作、计划和操作制造和装配设施。梅赛德斯-奔驰Announced earlier this year, as part of its production process, is utilizing the Omniverse platform, specifically its digital twin capabilities.

Avoiding costly production downtime is critical in automotive production, and NVIDIA notes that simulation in Omniverse enables plant planners to optimize plant and line layouts, optimize for supply routes, and validate lines without disrupting production.

Mercedes-Benz is investing in a "digital-first" approach designed to improve efficiency, avoid defects and save time, while increasing the flexibility, resilience and intelligence of its Mercedes-Benz MO360 production system.

According to NVIDIA, Omniverse enables plant suppliers and planners to interact with each other in a virtual environment to ensure that layout choices and automation changes can be incorporated and validated in real time. As a result, the platform can help new production lines reach maximum capacity faster, reducing the risk of rework or downtime.

The company further noted that using digital twins in the automotive production process ensures that the assembly line is first reconfigured, configured and optimized with actual accurate simulations.

The Kecskemét plant is Mercedes' first complete digital twin of an entire factory. The digital twin includes the entire building and facilities, as well as rest areas and locker rooms for employees. According to Mercedes, with this digital twin for production, it is possible to plan, modify and inspect assembly areas in a virtual environment, taking into account short distances, sufficiently spacious access routes and even including fire protection.

As a result, the plant's new assembly line will be able to produce vehicles based on the newly launched Mercedes Modular Architecture developments, which were developed virtually using digital twins in Omniverse.

梅赛德斯-奔驰集团董事会生产、质量和供应链管理成员Jörg Burzer表示：“梅赛德斯-奔驰通过将人工智能、MB.OS和基于NVIDIA Omniverse的数字双胞胎整合到MO360生态系统中，发起了汽车制造的新时代。’数字优先’方法使我们在全球生产网络中的MMA车型推出之前就能够释放出效率潜力，并大大加速上升。”

NVIDIA's Omniverse and AI will enable Mercedes-Benz to build a connected, digitally advanced approach to optimizing its manufacturing process, ultimately reducing build time and production costs.

In addition, Mercedes-Benz said that the introduction of AI has opened up new areas for energy and cost savings, for example, at its Rastatt plant, which is used to pioneer digital production in the paint shop. The automaker said it used AI to monitor relevant sub-processes in pilot tests, saving up to 20% in energy.

For more information about Mercedes-Benz and its digitalization goals, click onhere. To learn more about NVIDIA Omniverse, click on thehere.

Image credit: NVIDIA / Mercedes-Benz