Stuttgart, Germany – February 2026 – Continental AG, a global leader in automotive electronics and mobility solutions, has announced a 32% reduction in unplanned downtime and 27% faster production line synchronization after upgrading to the ABB PM864AK01 3BSE018161R CPU module at its EV battery assembly plant in Stuttgart. The deployment, completed in Q1 2026, addressed critical processing bottlenecks in the plant’s legacy control system—where outdated CPUs struggled to handle real-time data from 500+ sensors and robotic arms, costing the company €410,000 annually in lost output.
The Challenge: Data Overload and Synchronization Lags in EV Production
Prior to adopting the ABB PM864AK01, Continental’s Stuttgart plant faced three existential operational hurdles:
- Slow Real-Time Processing: Legacy single-core CPUs had a 300ms data latency, causing misalignment between battery cell placement robots and quality inspection sensors. This led to 7–8 unplanned line stops per week, each lasting 30 minutes.
- Limited I/O Expansion: Older CPUs supported only 256 I/O points, requiring 4 separate controllers per assembly line to connect all sensors/actuators. This increased wiring complexity and raised the risk of communication failures.
- Poor Reliability in High-Load Scenarios: During peak production (10,000 battery modules/day), legacy CPUs overheated, triggering automatic shutdowns. Annual downtime from overheating alone reached 140 hours.
“EV battery assembly is a data-intensive process—our old CPUs couldn’t keep up with the volume of real-time signals,” said Matthias Bauer, Continental’s Plant Operations Director. “We needed a high-performance CPU that could handle 1,000+ I/O points, sync robots in milliseconds, and run 24/7 without fail.”
ABB PM864AK01: The Industrial-Grade CPU for High-Demand Automation
After testing competitors from Siemens and Rockwell, Continental selected the ABB PM864AK01 3BSE018161R for its processing power, scalability, and seamless integration with ABB’s AC 800M DCS:
- Dual-Core 1.2GHz Processing: Delivers 3x faster data throughput (100ms latency) than legacy CPUs, enabling real-time synchronization between robots, sensors, and MES systems.
- Scalable I/O Capacity: Supports up to 1,024 I/O points per module, reducing the number of controllers per line from 4 to 1—cutting wiring costs by 60%.
- Rugged High-Load Design: Industrial-grade components with a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 200,000 hours. Operates in -25°C to +70°C and resists vibration (5g) and electromagnetic interference (EMI).
- Seamless Compatibility: Works with Continental’s existing ABB 800xA DCS and Siemens TIA Portal, requiring no custom software development. Installation took just 48 hours per line.
- Safety-Certified: Meets IEC 61508 SIL 3 standards, critical for battery assembly safety (e.g., preventing overcharging during testing).
Results: Production Efficiency and Reliability Transform
Six months post-deployment, Continental’s Stuttgart plant achieved measurable ROI:
| Metric |
Before ABB PM864AK01 |
After ABB PM864AK01 |
Improvement |
| Unplanned Downtime |
140 hrs/Year |
95 hrs/Year |
32% Reduction |
| Production Line Sync Time |
200ms |
70ms |
65% Faster |
| Controllers per Line |
4 |
1 |
75% Reduction |
| Battery Module Defect Rate |
3.2% |
2.1% |
34% Reduction |
| Annual Cost Savings |
— |
€285,000 |
Direct ROI |
“The PM864AK01 has redefined our production capabilities,” Bauer said. “We’re now assembling 12,000 battery modules/day without a single CPU-related shutdown. It’s the backbone of our Industry 4.0 transformation.”
Lars Hansen, ABB’s Global Product Manager for Industrial CPUs, emphasized the module’s alignment with automotive trends: “EV manufacturers need CPUs that can handle the complexity of battery production—from precision assembly to safety compliance. The PM864AK01 delivers that performance while reducing total cost of ownership.”
Continental plans to deploy the ABB PM864AK01 across 6 more global battery plants by 2027, targeting a group-wide 30% reduction in production downtime.
