Reference Project · Automotive

Process Control System: Body-Color Sorting Buffer & PVC Feed Buffer

Web-based process control system for a 4-level body storage facility at AUDI Ingolstadt — with pearl-chain sorting, color-block formation and OPC-UA integration.

The Plant

The plant comprises 4 levels for storing and sorting car bodies to be fed to the paint shop. A rule-based process control system ensures paint-line continuity, pearl-chain sequencing, and color-block formation throughout the process.

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4 Levels

Storage and sorting of car bodies across 4 plant levels.

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Pearl-Chain Control

Continuous sorting by pearl-chain sequence with color-block formation.

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Rule-Based System

Highly flexible material flow rule administration via a generic rule engine.

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OPC UA

Plant controller integration and peripheral systems via OPC UA and Siemens Cloud Connectors.

Skillworks FSS PCS at AUDI Control Room Ingolstadt

Skillworks FSS PCS at the AUDI control room in Ingolstadt

Plant Overview in the Control Room

The web-based PCS runs entirely in the browser of the AUDI control room in Ingolstadt. All levels of the sorting buffer and related systems are visible on the video wall — with states and material flow.

  • Fully browser-based plant visualization
  • Plant states at a glance
  • FSS 480, FSS 380, FSS 280 and ZFS PVC on a single interface
  • Updates without page reload
Material flow rule administration

Rule-based material flow control — flexibly configurable

Generic Material Flow Rule Engine

The heart of the PCS is a highly flexible rule engine for material flow control. Rules can be administered by the customer without programming knowledge. The generic approach allows great flexibility as production requirements evolve.

  • Visual rule administration by operations staff
  • Conditions based on car body master data attributes
  • Rule types: sequencing rules and blocked vehicle handling
  • Permission levels for different user roles
Web plant layout ZFS PVC with body IDs

Web-based plant layout ZFS PVC with body IDs

Level-by-Level Plant View

Each plant level — ZFS PVC (level 1), FSS levels and feed conveyor — is available as an interactive web layout. Body IDs, staging lines and transfer car positions are displayed clearly.

  • Dedicated view per plant level
  • Body IDs shown directly in the plant view
  • Staging lines HB1–HB14 with occupancy display
  • Switch between levels with a single click
Master data administration

Car body master data administration — directly in the browser

Car Body Master Data Administration

To use car body attributes in rule definitions, a flexible administration interface was provided. The master data management is integrated with the customer's internal system — changes are synchronized automatically.

  • Flexible body attributes for the rule engine
  • Automatic synchronization with customer systems
  • Fully web-based, no local installation

Technologies Used

The process control system is built on a modern, containerized Linux stack — optimized for robust 24/7 availability in industrial environments.

Infrastructure

Linux · Docker · NGINX · Tomcat · keepalived

Backend

Java · Spring · PostgreSQL · ActiveMQ · REST

Frontend

AngularJS · web-based control room application

Monitoring

Grafana · Kibana · Prometheus

Interfaces

OPC UA (FSS levels) · Siemens Cloud Connector · REST

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