The production of cutting-edge autonomous vehicles involves a high degree of complexity and requires constant refinement. Milla Group, an innovative French startup that designs, manufactures and markets a range of on-demand shared autonomous transport systems including shuttles and pods, has created a virtual twin to maximize the efficiency of vehicle production.
Milla has used DELMIA on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to create a dynamic digital twin of its entire facilities, processes and products – all informed by real-world data. This allows it to track the entire manufacturing process with unparalleled precision. It can then use SIMULIA to validate production processes upfront, minimizing the risk of rework or downtime on the factory floor.
“A virtual twin gives us the flexibility to adapt our production chain in a scalable way,” said Frédéric Mathis, Milla’s CEO. “If we need, we can quickly add a new production line or various workstations, safe in the knowledge that they will work as required.”
The virtual twin also enables Milla to validate new processes and eliminate bottlenecks before they become problematic and ensure its solutions meet stringent regulations and safety requirements. It can do this while minimizing its reliance on physical prototypes, which can often be a drain on resources and increase time to market.
To date, Milla has developed 30 varieties of autonomous vehicles for transporting people and goods, 20 of which are already operational. At a recent event organized with automotive manufacturer ISFM, Milla showcased its advanced technologies over a 3.6km route, achieving a speed of 50km per hour in autonomous mode. The vehicle had no driver on board, was supervised remotely and respected traffic lights, pedestrians, right of way and even avoided overgrown vegetation – all without any specific infrastructure for autonomous vehicles. According to Milla, no other shuttle can achieve this level of performance.
We can expect a lot more from Milla in the future. It expects to fully operationalize its production capacity by 2030, and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud will play an instrumental role in helping Milla to scale and grow so that it can achieve this. Read the full customer story to discover more.