B&R keeps BMW building
June 2008
PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
Since the beginning of series production over 100 000 BMW 3 series sedans have come off the line at the Bavarian car manufacturer’s newest plant in Leipzig. Control technology from B&R contributed to this success by executing a smooth commissioning of the building services.
Breaking new ground
BMW’s goal for its new building services technology was to create an efficient, reliable, and safe system to monitor, control, and drive the technical systems in its Leipzig plant. In the process, the company broke new ground by selecting uniform technology to be used consistently throughout the entire facilities.
The challenging task facing the control technology was no less comprehensive: It would have to handle a facility-wide network of more than 53 000 real data points - from sources such as sensors, actuators, and measurement systems - and more than 70 000 virtual data points - such as data from the PLCs. In addition to heating, ventilating, and airconditioning offices and production halls, the system would have to use collected information to distribute power, turn lighting on and off according to a time controlled and energy saving schedule, and provide media necessary for production such as water and air pressure at the right locations and in the right quantities.
B&R preferred
During an intensive evaluation phase, BMW experts tested and evaluated solutions from a number of measurement and control technology providers. In addition, the supplier was required to provide any necessary training to Cegelec Anlagen, the company hired to manufacture the automation systems for the plant. B&R’s automation technology prevailed in this demanding evaluation, and the company was named as the preferred supplier of measurement and control technology in the area of building services. This means that automation solutions from the Austrian specialists will now be the preferred standard for construction of new plants and renovation of existing locations.
BMW was confident that they had chosen a reliable partner with robust products, since they had already been successfully implementing B&R technology for years. These years of cooperation over numerous projects convinced BMW of the reliability of B&R controllers and the potential for connecting them to the control software planned for Leipzig: zenOn from Copa-Data. Configuring and preparing the systems in Leipzig proved to be a simple process, since BMW was already familiar with the necessary hardware and drivers. Kurt Fingerhut, project manager for Building Systems at Cegelec confirms: “Drivers for the B&R controllers were implemented in the control system without any problems whatsoever.”
For more information contact Chris Simpson, Klare Technologies, +27 (0)41 503 9900, csimpson@klare.co.za, www.klaretech.com
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