Finland – Having built the previous A-Class generation, the Finnish contract manufacturer said that only limited changes were needed at its Uusikaupunki plant to produce the new A-Class. The bodyshop has seen the most upgrades, where all manual workstations are now automated, increasing the number of body shop robots to 223 and the automation level to 95%.
In the paint shop and general assembly, the changes focused on ensuring there was capacity to allow for the simultaneous production of the new A-Class and GLC SUV (which started production at Uusikaupunki in 2017), and also improving ergonomics, work safety and productivity. Production of the new A-Class will add around 500 new car-builders to the current level of 4000 employees.
“The market expectations for the new A-Class are high, so we have focused on preparations to secure a fast launch and a high-volume production run. We have also benefited from our experiences with the previous A-Class generation and the GLC”, said Pasi Rannus, SVP Manufacturing business line, Valmet Automotive.
