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Case
Study
Rexroth
& Volvo
Staff
Report
One
of the most hi-tech automotive production sites in the world is
situated near Gothenburg, Sweden and is inhabited by car
manufacturer Volvo. Safety and quality are directly associated
with this car make, which belongs to the exclusive car range of
the Ford group. Rexroth serves Volvo as an important business
partner by providing products from different business units,
which includes components from the pneumatics and hydraulics
program as well as linear technology. Volvo also uses
Rexroth’s servomotors and control technology elements.
At the Volvo plant in Torslanda, three car models are
produced in different variants on one single production line.
Fifty cars roll off the line every hour and it takes just 18
hours to produce one car. The degree of automation at the
Torslanda plant is 89.5 percent, and 97 to 99 percent of the
production facilities offer complete availability.
The effectiveness of the plant is clearly noticed when
Volvo introduces a new model: The pre-production run stage takes
just six weeks. As the entire production runs on a made to order
basis, flexibility is vital. The plant is home to 450 robots,
200 of which are in operation at the car body production plant,
which represents the start of the production process. Right from
the start, the importance of automation is clearly visible; it
ensures production flexibility and quality automotive
manufacturing.
Quality
from the start
Production begins by
welding the bottom sections for the front and rear sides. Both
assemblies form together the base of the car, which is then
transformed into the finished car body at the next workstations
on the production line. The so-called marriage points are
particularly impressive. This is where pre-fabricated assemblies
comprising individual parts are welded together. A central
marriage point is the station, where the bottom section, side
panels and other...
...Continued
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