Dürr offers a strong commitment to final assembly

May 1: In addition to a variety of currently running painting projects, Dürr, the mechanical and plant engineering group, has intensified its activities in the field of final assembly. Examples of Dürr’s global assembly activities include FAW Volkswagen in Chengdu, Volkswagen Saxony in Zwickau, BAIC Motor Corporation in Peking, and 3 different projects for Fiat.

Final assembly forms a large part of the current orders from China. For the FAW Volkswagen Automotive Co. Ltd. joint venture in Chengdu, Dürr is installing skillet conveyors that have spindle lifting tables in both the trim and final assembly line. Their lift moves between 850 and 1450 millimeters. Altogether 142 skillet conveyers move the vehicles on two lines – driven and controlled by non-contact energy and data transfer. In addition, Dürr has produced and installed three of its own MCCs (modular chain conveyors) that are characterised by their robustness.

At Chengdu in the chassis lines as well as the dress-up line for the doors, electric monorail systems (EMS) from Dürr will be used. With a length of 1,200 meters, chassis line A is equipped with 102 vertically adjusting carriers with a maximum lift of 4,200 millimeters, while line B has 13 hangers and a length of 300 meters. This assembly shop, which can handle a maximum chassis weight of 2,500 kilograms, is designed for a three-shift operation with an output of 60 vehicles per hour. The plant will become operational in February 2013.

Another order from China comes from the BAIC Motor Corporation which is building a new final assembly line in Beijing. Dürr is supplying the complete conveyor technology, with skillet conveyors in the trim and final line and a heavy duty electric monorail system in the chassis line. Slat conveyors are used at the end of line with the water test. An interesting detail is the marriage – based on a roller bed – with a large main frame and a pallet changing system for front and rear axles. Dürr is responsible for the layout planning of this project. From the beginning of 2013, new BAIC models based on the Saab 93 and 95 will be assembled in this plant.

A real challenge in terms of scheduling and project management is the order from Volkswagen Saxony GmbH based in Zwickau. It concerns a brownfield project, which means the conversion of an already existing plant. This will be carried out in a number of stages with longer shut-down phases. In mid-August 2012 the renovation will be complete and production will begin again.

Meanwhile, Dürr’s Italian partners from CPM have built a pilot line for final assembly at Fiat in Pomigliano. This reproduces Fiat’s globally applicable production standard in a compact design. The centerpiece is the TTS line (Twin Trolley System), a proprietary development with height-adjustable and rotating hangers. Employees can be trained at this plant and instructed in assembly processes such as the start-up for new models.

The pilot line was part of an overall project for which CPM has installed a new marriage line for joining the body and power train (Flex Decking Line). Components of this project include mechanical dress-up lines for the front and rear axle modules, for example. Even end-of-line equipment with the x-wheel laser wheel alignment stand is part of the scope of services delivered by Dürr, as is the x-road testing technology, with rolling, braking and ABS test facilities. This first flex-decking plant with a capacity of 60 vehicles per hour began operation in Pomigliano in October 2011.

The Dürr Group generates a good 80 percent of its sales in business with the automotive industry. It has four divisions: Paint and Assembly Systems which plans and builds paint shops and final assembly plants; Application Technology provides automated paint, sealing and gluing applications with its robot technologies; machinery and systems from the Measuring and Process Systems division are used in engine and transmission manufacturing and in final vehicle assembly, among other areas; and finally, Clean Technology Systems focuses on processes to improve energy efficiency and on exhaust air purification. Dürr has 50 business locations in 23 countries. The Group achieved sales of € 1.9 billion with approximately 6,800 employees in 2011.

Dürr has been active in India for nearly 50 years, with a local presence for over 20 years. Nearly all of Dürr’s business units with their complete innovative product portfolio are active in India, offering high quality balancing and diagnostic machines, application technology, paint and final assembly systems, as well as environmental systems. Dürr says it has made India an important hub for its worldwide engineering activities offering its customers international know-how and local experience.