Stellantis has established plans to work with Accenture to implement NVIDIA technologies for digital twinning at its manufacturing operations worldwide, to optimize production activities and reduce downtime. Starting with undisclosed pilot deployments in North America this year, real-time data and predictive analytics are expected to improve scheduling, production efficiency, and quality control. The project is expected to help to assess value creation and scalability across the global industrial network.
That automaker has nine vehicle assembly plants in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, plus eight engine casting, machining and assembly plants, as well as an extensive parts distribution network.
“Together, the companies aim to explore how AI-integrated digital twins can enable closed-loop optimization, where virtual and physical manufacturing systems continuously inform and improve each other,” according to their announcement. “This is supported by agentic orchestration for dynamic throughput optimization, as well as physics-informed quality and maintenance.”
Stellantis also indicated that its workers will be “upskilled” to manage the new digital processes, without negatively impacting employment figures.
“By combining digital twins, AI and advanced simulation, we are rethinking how we design, operate and continuously improve our production systems,” stated Francesco Ciancia, Stellantis’ head of manufacturing. “This initiative is designed to work hand in hand with our teams, enhancing their ability to anticipate issues, enabling faster decisions and continuous improvement.
“The opportunity in manufacturing today is to scale AI across complex industrial operations in ways that deliver measurable business value,” explained Tracey Countryman, supply chain and engineering global lead at Accenture, the management consulting group that also provides IT and enterprise technologies.
Automotive manufacturers have been affected by a range of supply chain complications over the past decade. Recently, a supplier dispute precipitated a production stoppage at a Stellantis assembly plant in Mexico.
