Why Do We Need Codable Control Modules?

Why Do We Need Codable Control Modules?

As a manufacturer of vehicles for world wide distribution, BMW must design and produce many vehicles to satisfy any requirement including various:
- Country specific regulations
- Operating environments
- Optional extras of a customer's choice
- Diagnostic capabilities

Variations of a vehicle system are carried out by changing the control parameters of the system control module. This flexibility allows for standard components to be shared on a world wide basis which offers tremendous cost savings and an improved parts handling/distribution processes.







In the past this could only be accomplished by the factory. Factory programming equipment loaded a basic operating system into a blank control module. The basic system was common for all control modules worldwide. Additional specific data was then added to the basic system producing variants of the control module for world wide distribution.