In a method for operating a production plant, and a production plant, the production plant includes a control device, workstations and vehicles, at least two workstations having a similar configuration. The respective processor of a vehicle determines a driving path that is as short as possible and is a function of the position of the other vehicles, and in an effort to avoid congestion or to shorten the production time, the driving path is determined such that, instead of leading to a first workstation, the driving path leads to an identical second workstation.

In a method for operating a production plant, and a production plant, the production plant includes a higher-level control, workstations and vehicles, at least two workstations having a similar configuration so that a similarly configured second workstation is available for a first workstation. Each vehicle includes a processor, which is connected to the higher-level control for the data transmission with the aid of a communications channel, and each vehicle includes a position-detection system for detecting the position of the respective vehicle. The higher-level control transmits to the processors of the vehicles the position allocated to a respective workstation that is to be approached by the vehicle for the performance of a production-method step at this particular workstation, and the higher-level control transmits to the respective processor of the vehicles an individual order, which includes the sequence of the workstations to be reached. The processors of the vehicles transmit their respective vehicle positions to the higher-level control, and the higher-level control transmits the respective instantaneous vehicle positions to all processors in a temporally recurring manner, in particular in the form of a broadcast telegram. The respective processor of a vehicle determines a driving path that is as short as possible and is a function of the position of the other vehicles, and in an effort to avoid congestion or to shorten the production time, the driving path is determined such that, instead of leading to a first workstation, the driving path leads to the similarly configured second workstation.