CHENNAI, India—Artificial intelligence, digital twins, robotics and other Industry 4.0 technology will play a key role at Ola’s huge new factory here. When production ramps up later this year, the company claims that it will be the world’s largest electric scooter assembly plant.
The state-of-the-art facility will be capable of producing up to 2 million vehicles annually. It will be the most automated factory in India, with 5,000 robots and automated guided vehicles in use.
“This will be one of the most advanced manufacturing facilities in the world,” claims Bhavish Aggarwal, chairman and CEO of Ola. “This factory will showcase India’s skill and talent to produce world-class products that will cater to global markets.
“This will be our global hub and will set a benchmark in quality, scale and efficiency, demonstrating India’s capability to build cutting-edge products,” explains Aggarwal.
“The new manufacturing plant aligns with [our] global vision to move mobility into a more sustainable, accessible and connected future,” adds Aggarwal. “The factory will also galvanize India’s electric vehicle ecosystem and establish [this country] as a key player in the EV manufacturing space.”
The factory will use Ola’s proprietary AI engine and tech stack. “[They] will be deeply integrated into every aspect of the manufacturing process, continuously self-learning and optimizing every aspect of the manufacturing process,” says Aggarwal. “This will provide unprecedented control, automation and quality to the entire operation, especially cyber-physical and advanced Internet of Everything systems.”
According to Aggarwal, material handling will be fully automated to maximize efficiency.
“These advanced technology systems will seamlessly blend with [our] workforce to provide the perfect synergy of humans and machines working in tandem to build the most efficient production system and deliver the highest quality products for [our] customers,” he points out.
Aggarwal says Ola will also be deploying Siemens’ Digital Enterprise system, including digital twin technology, to “digitalize and validate product and production ahead of actual operations” to “ensure the highest levels of productivity and quality, while enabling an agile and flexible production process.”
In addition, the new Ola factory will feature state-of-the-art robots. To optimize performance, productivity and product quality, the ABB Robotics machines will be equipped with remote digital connectivity and monitoring technology.            ABB’s IRB 2600 and IRB 5500 robots will be used in the paint shop and welding lines, while IRB 6700 robots will be deployed in the battery and motor assembly areas of the plant.
“Connecting [our products] to Ola’s digital ecosystem will ensure our robots are key components of [this] new, advanced facility,” says Andrea Cassoni, managing director of general industries at ABB Robotics. “This level of automation will enable Ola to consistently achieve their twin objectives of high productivity and high quality.
“This, together with the high levels of flexibility our robots offer, demonstrates how technology can transform manufacturing and [will ensure that Ola’s new plant] is a great example of a factory of the future.”