The story of how ABB Robotics helps the export of the new Volvo S90 from China to the US
Earlier this summer, Volvo began exporting its new S90 long-wheelbase sedan from the Daqing manufacturing facility across the Pacific. The first 400 vehicles were transported to Tianjin for shipment, ready for a June delivery to the American consumers.
The car is arguably is the most luxurious ever to be made in China by a global OEM brand. What is also notable is that a high-end sedan model made in China will be exported to the US market for the first time. The production of this model is ably supported by ABB Robotics.
Unlike the “localisation” strategy implemented by other carmakers in China, Volvo’s practice is to incorporate the Chinese production base into its global manufacturing and supply system. The new models manufactured in Daqing will not only meet the domestic demands, but also be supplied to major markets like the US and Europe. ABB Robotics has become an important part of the modern plant in Volvo’s Daqing manufacturing base, which is built in line with its uniform global standards.
ABB Robotics has provided Daqing manufacturing base with applications and technical support for three major lines: body-in-white, press shop and paintshop.
Body-in-whiteVolvo Daqing Plant is the first Chinese plant that adopts the Volvo-ABB function package. ABB has supplied over 200 full function packages to its body-in-white workshop, each of which contains robots and corresponding welding controls, tip dressers, tool changes, sealing system, stud welding system, and self-piercing riveting system (SPR). The function package integrates the robots, the relevant peripherals’ application equipment and secondary development software to significantly improve the system’s overall commissioning cycle, operation safety and stability.
In addition, the uniform standards and application platforms, together with a user-friendly commissioning and interactive interface, simplify the general plan and control over the progress of projects. For Volvo, ABB equipment integrates side line, main line, door line, header line, fender line and adjustment line. The applications include handling, spot welding, SPR, laser welding and dispensing. The main line even uses the ABB Gate Framer station, meeting Volvo’s high standard and stringent requirements.
"ABB Robotics has provided Daqing manufacturing base with applications and technical support for three major lines: body-in-white, press shop and paintshop."
Press automationABB Robotics provides Volvo with a full line of integrated press automation, including IRB 7600FX linear 7-axis robots, visual alignment system, toolings and functions for more than 10 components, capable of producing both steel plates and aluminum plates. The Volvo S90 long-wheelbase sedan has large dimensions and complicated dies and requires high-precision robot coordination in component clamping and placing. Due to the large size of the parts and the special processes, the postures of placement are confronted with a number of requirements which include station reversal, half-way material turnover, spinning and separation. Therefore, high flexibility is needed for the automation production. ABB has provided not only high-performance pressing robots and a safe and stable automatic control system to help Volvo realise the complex production, but also a general monitoring and real-time production information display system to ensure the success, safety and efficiency of production.
Paint automationABB Robotics has provided more than 30 paint robots, covering the full painting process and sealing process, from mid-coating, colour paint spraying to varnish paint spraying. The fully automated sealing line guarantees the consistency and reliability and China’s first water-based LASD automatic glue spraying station, just as ABB provided for the Volvo Chengdu factory in 2011.
Volvo launched its global manufacturing strategy in Shanghai last year. Hakan Samuelsson, President and CEO of Volvo, said, “Daqing manufacturing base will produce the most luxurious and top-of-the-line Volvo sedans. The Chinese automobile industry has entered a new era of global production and export that is ushered in by Volvo.”
“This marks a new chapter for Chinese automobile industry. This official export to America is the start of this model’s export to the whole world. In the future, it will be exported to Europe, including the Swedish market.” said Yuan Xiaolin, Global Senior Vice President of Volvo, President and CEO of Volvo in the Asia- Pacific region.
Global model factoryThe Daqing factory is Volvo’s cutting-edge SPA (expandable framework) car factory and positioned as “a global model factory”. SPA gives more freedom to engineers. Models, powertrain assembly and electric systems differ from each other in complexity but can be fit with the same SPA expandable platform framework to reduce production costs.
The export of the S90 long-wheelbase sedan to the US shows that China is well qualified in international fine production competition and serving global market. It also symbolises that the Daqing automotive industrial cluster can produce with world class quality. In the meantime, Chinese high-end manufacturing, represented by Volvo, is seeking to realise the “Intelligent Manufacturing” advocated by the Chinese government. ABB Robotics is very glad to be partner for Volvo to realise intelligent manufacturing and serve global market with high quality.
