Building Volkswagen’s Industrial Cloud

VW amazon cloud

Volkswagen Group’s landmark project with Amazon Web Services will help to connect all its global factories, and eventually the supply chain as well. At the core of the project is a drive to establish a standard software stack that will transform the way production IT is developed and implemented across Volkswagen locations.

At the core of Volkswagen Group’s decision to build an ‘Industrial Cloud’ connecting its production sites and supply chain, is an extreme proliferation of systems, standards and software across its 120 factories. Today, the group uses around 1,500 different IT systems on the shopfloor alone for manufacturing and logistics. It is not uncommon for a single plant to operate with dozens of different systems – hundreds once suppliers and service providers are included.

This “spaghetti connectivity”, as Volkswagen Group CIO Martin Hofmann calls it, is not only confusing and burdensome to manage, but it limits the degree to which investment, innovation and data can be shared across the group. Information exists in pockets of the production network, while software applications are not always compatible across locations.

This article is available to registered users only. 

To continue reading this article and others like it, please SIGN-IN or REGISTER FREE today.

Join us today for free

aIT Comp Tablet and print phone image 400px

Register free now to stay up-to-date with the latest industry developments, trends, and analysis, to find in-depth reports and intelligence and to connect with your peers.

Your free registration includes:

  • Access to our exclusive content
  • Weekly enewsletter
  • Option to save articles to a personal library
  • Ability to comment on articles
  • Special offers
  • Ability to manage your profile and communication preferences

Gain access to our exclusive content and features register today

Non-registered users are able to access two AIT exclusive articles per week. You have now used your allocation.
To continue reading this article and others like it, please SIGN-IN or REGISTER FREE today.