SGMW: World's First Modular Assembly Factory for Lean Intelligent Manufacturing Powered by Reliable Networks

Producing cars is a drawn-out process — from stamping and welding to painting and final assembly. It involves over 100 industrial sectors, including steel, petroleum, chemicals, and electronics. The vast and complex nature of the industry chain sets it apart from other mass productions of consumer products.

It is clear to see that automotive manufacturing will face significant challenges in production, equipment, warehousing, logistics, and more as it transitions towards flexibility and intelligence. That being said, SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) has created the world's first modular assembly factory with Lean Intelligent Manufacturing (LIM). This replaces the century-old assembly lines with production islands, redefining the way cars are made. The factory's construction and operation have opened a new chapter for the development of SGMW and the entire Chinese automotive industry.

SGMW's LIM factory for battery electric vehicles is the first assembly base in China to use smart assembly islands. These production islands allow for flexible and modular assembly, breaking down and reorganizing the traditional assembly line manufacturing process. This innovative approach is leading the way in the use of smart assembly islands in global automobile production.

This new production model improves production automation and increases efficiency in producing personalized orders. It adapts better to the new market mode of small-batch, multi-variety production and overturns the rigid production model of traditional assembly lines.

SGMW's factory production is designed to be highly flexible, efficient, lean, and stable. The main assembly line has been simplified, and the sub-assembly line prioritizes customization to meet customer needs, creating personalized and high-quality new energy vehicles. The highly flexible parallel process is fully compatible, modular, and intelligent, allowing for customization. Smart robots of SGMW's own design along with a data-informed decision-making system enable real-time adaptive scheduling, where car bodies are transported between stations and necessary materials are supplied as needed to wherever the car bodies are. This greatly improves production efficiency. Advanced manufacturing processes, such as static assembly, precise positioning, and multi-shaft synchronous tightening, are used to create better products through a leaner approach. The use of intelligent sensing and detection technology, as well as quality traceability throughout the product lifecycle, also increases product reliability and stability.

This modular assembly LIM factory operates with efficient production equipment, assembly facilities, and numerous robots, all connected using Huawei's powerful networks.

For wireless network coverage, Huawei adopted continuous networking for WLAN construction with a focus on user experience. They utilized advanced Wi-Fi technology and products to ensure high bandwidth and low latency for SGMW's production and office networks, delivering fast and stable connections to equipment. Additionally, Huawei's reliability-focused technologies, like lossless roaming, and dual fed and selective receiving, solve the problem of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) losing signals during network roaming. This improves AGV roaming efficiency and ensures production continuity. The factory also supports efficient collaboration between the Electrified Monorail System (EMS) and mobile robots backed by Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) technology, allowing for flexible transportation of various production objects like car bodies and parts for seamless production.

To ensure smooth operations in the face of complex business processes, a vast production system, massive amounts of process data, and numerous production equipment, a strong and reliable network management center is crucial. It acts as an intangible web of support, linking all the components together, and its self-repair capabilities are particularly essential.

At SGMW's network management center, O&M personnel have bid farewell to manual monitoring. Thanks to the intelligent O&M of Huawei's digital map for campus networks, administrators can monitor the real-time Wi-Fi usage of each user as well as the online status of equipment. They can locate and repair problems within minutes, and ensure uninterrupted production on top of zero downtime.

SGMW has achieved impressive results since the factory commenced production, including a 31% reduction in the manufacturing cost of a single vehicle, a 98% chassis consistency, and down to 0% assembly error rate. The intelligent scheduling of transport units, such as AGVs, has also been error-free, preventing economic losses caused by halted production. With Huawei's highly reliable production network and the use of big data and AI, SGMW has developed a data-information-value system that empowers production with data. This system offers an overview of production and operational indicators and risks, providing dynamic perception, decision-making assistance, and intelligent warnings.

SGMW's modular assembly LIM factory is a prime example of China's digital transformation in the manufacturing sector. It is advancing at impressive speeds and forging new paths for transformation. Huawei is committed to delivering reliable production network solutions to aid the digital transformation of manufacturing companies. Looking ahead, Huawei will continue to drive innovation and help more customers unlock infinite possibilities, setting industry benchmarks for global reference.