The Volkswagen Group is exploiting possibilities of digitalization as the company believes that IT will play an important role in its future operations.
At the Group IT symposium held in Wolfsburg, Germany, members of the Volkswagen Group and Brand Boards of Management and the Works Council considered IT solutions for the digital future.
They focued mainly on human-robot cooperation, augmented reality and digital customer solutions.
Volkswagen board management member responsible for human resources, IT and organization Karlheinz Blessing said: "We are becoming faster, more agile and more competitive. We are developing know-how and expertise with respect to future-oriented topics.
"IT will play a key role. It is becoming a hotbed of innovation for the Group."
At the symposium, IT representatives demonstrated an intelligent human-robot cooperation, which could be applied to production in the coming years.
A new sensor configuration that can be integrated in a modular way enables genuine cooperation between people and robots.
This intelligent human-robot cooperation can be operated using gestures, records ambient conditions using a combination of sensors and it can avoid collisions when operating independently.
Volkswagens says that this demonstration is key for the applying human robot interaction in production in the years to come.
The next technology to be focused is virtual reality. This technology works by integrating real and digital worlds using plasticine car model and Hololens smart glasses where a flow line was projected into the smart glasses.
This was again visible in the car model and could be viewed from any perspective. For the Hololens wearer, the field of vision includes both real and virtual content being projected on the display.
The third technology that was demonstrated includes a mobile application that assists dealers with the sales process. Modules like precise analysis of requirements, vehicle configuration, vehicle presentation and search for actual vehicle stocks.
These provide support to sales personnel in assisting customers. After the deal is complete, the dealer can create an electronic sales folder the customers.
Apart from this, going a little further, a fleet of 124 vehicles equipped with telematics solutions for the past some years. These vehicles have completed more than two million kilometres in 17 countries. The data collected from these vehicles will be used as basis for mobility control hubs.
Volkswagen says that these connected vehicles along with other connected vehicles and autonomous vehicles to generate new services for autonomous vehicles, fleet managers, customers and traffic planners, thanks to artificial intelligence.
Group Works Council chairman Bernd Osterloh said: "We can only master the digital future with competent employees. This applies especially to the IT Department, the nerve center of the Group.
"As Works Council members, we are committed to ensuring that our colleagues are extremely well qualified for the digital future."
