The robots at our Maraimalai plant are quite versatile. In an earlier post, we told you how they paint a Ford car. In this post, we will tell you how the robots put your vehicle together at the plant’s body shop.

The new state of the art facility has an array of high-tech robotics – a total of 92 new robots have been installed in the body shop, paint shop and final assembly.

The all-new body shop

Sixty-six robots are used in the body shop for critical processes like spot welding, sealer application and door hemming. The robots have increased the automation level at the expanded facility gearing for volume production to 30 percent.

Automated underbody framing robots build the lower and upper body structure of the vehicle. This operation requires absolute precision, as large metal structures are assembled and spot-welded into vehicle floorpans.

The body shop has also become “flexible”, with a framing line designed for handling up to six different models simultaneously in a single line.

Other features of the body shop include:

• Portable measuring machine: to measure jigs and fixtures for build precision.
• Part checking fixture: to measure all major subassemblies, body, front-end and rear-end fit and finish.
• Real-time seal gap measuring equipment: a step up over measuring seal gaps with hand-held calipers.

Why these robots are special
Once we program a robot, it can perform complex and repetitive tasks quickly and precisely. The body shop welding robots are equipped with new servo motor welding guns. These are quieter than the older welding-gun technology, and deliver high-quality welds that are cleaner, with reduced expulsion and burring. Servo motors allow the welding tips to be brought smoothly into place, which helps to eliminate distortion of the metal and ensure stable weld pressure.

Why robots? “A modern automobile plant needs robotics to get the precision that’s essential to a well-constructed vehicle,” says Tom Chackalackal, Vice-President, Manufacturing, Ford India.

Big impact
The robots have made processes speedier. Our body shop capacity has more than doubled, from 15 to 34 jobs an hour. The new line is “future engineered” – flexible enough to build different vehicles one after the other. The new body shop line will build vehicles in Ford India’s current product portfolio as well as the Figo.

With enhanced production efficiency and quantum leap in quality, the plant is now geared to deliver even higher quality cars to consumers that will be not only be great products but competitive in the market.

As Mr. Chackalackal puts it, “This huge conversion will make us very competitive with Indian manufacturers and give Indian customers a better product than ever. Much of our investment is centred on quality and our desire to be the best in class in India.”

What do you think of the robots in our new body shop? What else do you think robots could do in an automobile plant? Tell us!

Green is a favourite colour at Ford’s Maraimalai plant near Chennai, where the Figo is being produced. The plant has almost 50 acres of green cover that includes well-tended lawns and a green belt. This is just one aspect of Ford’s commitment to the environment and the community.

Across the plant, Ford has also put in place initiatives to reduce energy consumption and emissions. “The biggest user of energy and fuel in a manufacturing plant is the paint shop,” says Tom Chackalackal, vice president, Manufacturing, Ford India.

Ford’s revamped paint shop incorporates the three-wet high solids process, which has reduced carbon dioxide emission by 15 percent and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emission by 20 percent. We call this the next-generation environment-friendly technology.

In addition, the paint shop uses energy-efficient ovens and equipment. “By introducing this new technology, we’re cutting energy use and fuel consumption significantly, and that’s good for the environment and the community,” adds Chackalackal.

Ford has also installed a zero-discharge wastewater treatment facility for the plant complex. As a result, all the wastewater is treated and reused – saving plenty of water.

The company’s environmentally-aware practices do not end here. Manufacturing units often dump their solid waste in landfills, creating hazards for the environment. Ford has completely eliminated the need for landfills by building a zero solid waste facility. All the solid waste that is generated at the plant is recycled or co-processed in the cement industry.

Finally, Ford has also improved internal processes to reduce consumption of important resources. Here’s a tiny indicator: in the past three years, we have reduced water consumption by 30 percent per car, and electricity consumption by 10 percent per car.

What do you think of these green initiatives? How do you live a green life? Tell us!

- By the Ford Figo Team