Ontologies as a solution for current challenges of automation of the pilot phase in the automotive industry

The Launch Management is currently playing a more and more important role in the automotive industry. This is mainly due to increasing numbers of variants with decreasing quantities and shortening of the product-life-cycle. A launch can be divided into 2 phases: before start of production (pilot phase) and after start of production (ramp-up). Due to increasing automation in assembly shop and prototype construction, the pilot phase faces new challenges. During the pilot phase the developed facilities and processes must be adopted to fulfill the demands of the series production.In this paper, the application of ontologies is investigated as a possible solution for the upcoming challenges. For this investigation, at first the characteristics of the pilot phase in the automotive industry are defined. Following the definition, an ontology tailored to the pilot phase’s demands is developed. Finally, an outlook will be given towards implementing ontology into future concepts. Additionally an overview of demand for further research will be provided.