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RFID and eLISA create Transparency in prototype construction at Volkswagen

Lueneburg, 24.02.2016 - Know today what will be important tomorrow!Volkswagen promotes Industrie 4.0 technical development by rolling-out the Transparent Prototype project and starting a new data exchange platform.

What’s Industrie 4.0? While economists and politicians are still intensely discussing its definition, integration and employment, Volkswagen create facts. For the technical development of Industrie 4.0, the data exchange portal eLISA is the basis for electronic component data exchange between suppliers and Volkswagen. Prototype parts are RFID-tagged by suppliers. The related logistics and component data is communicated to Volkswagen by eLISA and used, among other things, for the essential construction state documentation of test vehicles. The vision of Transparent Prototypes is becoming a reality.

Dr. Malte Schmidt and Dr. Lars Thoroe, Volkswagen, in interview with ‚RFID im Blick‘

A Clear view on technical development

The necessary data and process standards were created as part of a multi-year preparation phase that is still ongoing. At the same time, the RFID hardware currently in use has been certified. Since early 2015, the Transparent Prototype project has been rolled out extensively. Volkswagen systematically orders prototype parts equipped with RFID, and actively demands identification measures form its suppliers,“ says Dr. Schmidt. Currently, more than 150 suppliers are already involved in the system. „Our goal is 100 per cent coverage,“ explains Dr. Schmidt.

Goal: 300 „RFID suppliers“ in 2016

Suppliers currently involved in the Transparent Prototype project are mainly from Germany and Europe. But, the system is also being successfully applied overseas. „By the end of 2016, the number of RFID capable prototype suppliers should increase to about 300,“ says Dr. Schmidt. „This requires a high degree of consistency.“ The roll-out currently affects approximately 150 different prototype parts. Excluded are components that are currently not suitable for RFID tagging because of their design, the vehicledependent location of assembly or critical factors, such as high temperature. There are also many components, such as control devices that can be read via online diagnostics. For them, an RFID tag is not required in the current phase of the roll-out.