New standards in the automobile sector - Made in Austria

BMW Group Plant Steyr was given the world famous INDUSTRIE 4.0 AWARD for this very reason. At its largest facility for producing e-drives, the drives required for BMW Group vehicles of tomorrow are being researched and manufactured. In 2018, the first AI solutions were already being introduced. Today the factory is in the midst of the most far-reaching transformation in its history. In addition to combustion engines, e-drives will also be produced in Steyr in the future. Sustainability, flexibility and digitalisation are the key aspects, not only in the plant itself, but throughout the entire production network of the BMW Group. 

“BMW Group Plant Steyr is a shining example of how Industry 4.0 excellence takes not just skilful adaptation but also innovations that embrace an element of risk. Over the years, the teams have built up a complex yet highly efficient technology landscape that offers convincing answers, especially in the key field of AI, with a home-grown, creative, scalable solution,” according to jury member Jörg Ulrich. 

AVL List, a globally leading mobility technology company for the development, simulation and testing in the automobile industry and other sectors, is another example of successful transformation and leadership. At present, the company is leading an EU project for the automobile of tomorrow, collaborating with 29 partners from seven countries. Within a period of three years, the foundation for the safe, efficient, powerful and reliable software-defined vehicles should be laid.  

In the coming years, the cooperation partners, including prominent automobile manufacturers and component suppliers, relevant industry associations and industrial software-defined vehicle initiatives, want to identify and design software and hardware components that will serve as the basic functional requirements for the operation of all software-defined vehicles. Thanks to the pre-competitive exchange of methodologies and tools as well as collaborative work in an open source ecosystem, development time and costs can be significantly reduced in order to compete on a global scale.  

“The cooperation between the automotive industry in the field of software is important and forward-looking. Together we create innovative solutions and collaboration models. We are proud of the trust the EU and the industry have in AVL to lead FEDERATE,” states Georg List, Vice President Corporate Strategy AVL.  

However, not only are Austrian companies participating in the design of international standards. The International Alliance for Mobility Testing and Standardization (IAMTS), an Austrian association with an international orientation and members from all regions of the world, is intensively focusing on how autonomous driving systems can be safely operated and maintained on the basis of standardizable processes and certified testing environments. In doing so, the experts of IAMTS will help to design the international regulatory framework via relevant working and project groups. 

You can find further information on the mobility sector in Austria here: https://investinaustria.at/en/industries-functions/industry/mobility/