Vertical: Manufacturing
Application: AI-driven quality control, autonomous logistics, real-time sensor data collection, robotics coordination, digital twin simulation
Ecosystem: Magyar Telekom
Private Network: 5G
BMW has officially opened its newest vehicle manufacturing facility in Debrecen, Hungary, marking a significant milestone in the company’s electric vehicle strategy. The facility, which represents an approximately €2 billion investment, has been positioned as the automaker’s most innovative production site globally and the first to operate entirely without fossil fuels during normal operations.
According to SNS Telecom & IT’s 5G Research Director Asad Khan, the facility relies on a hybrid public-private 5G network deployed by Magyar Telekom. This deployment differs from typical private network approaches seen elsewhere in Europe and North America, where enterprises often operate more independently from public carriers. The on-premise radio access network infrastructure spans the entire 400-hectare (~988 acres) site, with approximately 15 percent consisting of indoor space. While BMW has previously partnered with vendors such as Celona and Nokia for private networks at other locations, the specific RAN vendor for Debrecen has not been disclosed.
The wireless network provides connectivity for worker tablets, cameras, sensors, and autonomous transport robots. The facility employs nearly 1,000 industrial robots, particularly concentrated in the press shop, where components are manufactured using processes that were digitally simulated before physical implementation.
BMW’s proprietary Artificial Intelligence Quality Next platform, known as AIQX, represents a central element of the facility’s operations. The cloud-based system utilizes cameras, acoustic sensors, and microphones positioned along production lines to conduct automated quality inspections. Data about each vehicle’s position, components, and finishes is captured and analyzed against trained models, with alerts generated for staff when missing parts, assembly errors, or defects are detected.
The facility’s logistics operations showcase the integration of wireless connectivity with automation. Autonomous tugger trains transport high-voltage batteries directly from the adjacent battery assembly plant to installation points, while smart transport robots independently deliver smaller components. The layout employs a “finger structure” design that allows 80 percent of all parts to be delivered directly to the appropriate point on the assembly line.
The Debrecen facility will manufacture the all-electric BMW iX3, the inaugural vehicle in the company’s Neue Klasse series. BMW has stated that technologies from the Neue Klasse will be integrated into 40 new models and model updates by the end of 2027. The simplified vehicle architecture includes approximately 600 fewer meters of wiring per vehicle, resulting in a 30 percent reduction in weight compared to previous designs.
Approximately one-quarter of the plant’s annual electrical power comes from a 50-hectare (~123 acres) photovoltaic system on site. Surplus solar energy generated during non-working periods is stored in a thermal storage system with a capacity of 130 megawatt-hours. BMW has stated that production of the iX3 at Debrecen will generate approximately 80 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per vehicle, representing a reduction of roughly two-thirds compared to production of existing BMW models.
Oliver Zipse, chairman of the board at BMW, emphasized the facility’s significance. “In our global production network, our new plant in Debrecen is a pioneer: it is our first fully-electric plant, the first production site to operate entirely without fossil fuels – and the first to build vehicles for the Neue Klasse,” Zipse stated. “This makes our plant in Debrecen a decisive factor in the BMW Group’s future success.”
Hans-Peter Kemser, head of the Debrecen plant, highlighted the operational approach. “We have faced the challenge of building a completely new vehicle in a brand-new plant from the start – and doing it as lean and efficiently as possible,” Kemser said. “We have simplified processes, reduced complexity, digitally secured every single work step, and consistently used the know-how in our global network.”
