Chery Automobile Co. and ForwardX Technology Co. said they are collaborating to implement mobile robots to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and enhance automated assembly at the Chery Super One Factory in Qingdao, China.
Founded in 1997, Chery Automobile has established research and development centers in China, Germany, the U.S., and Brazil and an R&D team of more than 5,500 people. The Wuhu, China-based company said it has sold more than 10 million units of brands such as Arrizo and Tiggo.
Established this year, the Chery Super Factory focuses on integrating advanced technologies and realizing digital transformation, according to Chery Automobile. It has an annual production capacity of 300,000 vehicles and 200,000 KD (knockdown kit) units.
Chery claimed that it is one of the first automakers to use vision-based autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in production. In the first deployment stage, Chery and ForwardX have integrated more than 100 AMRs with the factory's logistics execution systems (LES) software to enable autonomous material movement across three assembly lines.
ForwardX provides three AMR types
ForwardX Robotics said it delivers innovative systems for warehousing and manufacturing facilities. The company, which has offices in Beijing, San Diego, and Phoenix, said its fleet management software and vision-guided AMRs can help businesses achieve higher performance and value within their supply chain operations.
ForwardX has more than 250 staffers from top universities and leading enterprises and has over 350 patents. The company said it has deployed more than 3,000 AMRs in over 150 facilities worldwide.
In Chery's post-installation line, ForwardX Flex 300-L AMRs transport materials from the staging area to designated workstations after bar-code verification. The robots dock with the racks and use advanced vision systems for secure material handling.
In interior-line and door-line processes, ForwadX’s Lynx U1000 autonomous tuggers integrate into the service programming system (SPS) and transport materials from the staging area to the line-side workstations. The AMRs navigate to the material staging area with empty racks, and pickers use light indicators as guidance for picking and matching.
Once the AMR reaches the unloading point on the line side, the full racks are automatically unloaded, said the companies. After completing the material delivery, the AMRs can independently mount empty racks at the rack collection point and return.
In the chassis line process, Chery Super Factory said it prioritizes sustainability by reusing old racks and employing ForwardX’s Apex 2000 autonomous forklifts in specific processes, reducing waste.
Chery Super Factory finds favorable results
Since implementing ForwardX Robotics’ automotive manufacturing technology, the Chery Super Factory said it has lowered the logistics cost per vehicle by a 10%. In addition, the system keeps the line-side oversupply rate below 15% and the assembly error rate of less than two vehicles per 1,000, it reported.
By effectively managing inventory levels and eliminating assembly errors, the new distribution process minimizes the possibility of production line disruptions, resulting in a 200% increase in efficiency and a significant reduction in operational costs, claimed the companies.
“By leveraging ForwardX Robotics' innovative solutions, Chery accelerates its transformation into a global technology company, remaining committed to its goal of creating an intelligent, automated, digitized, and smart logistics factory,” they said.
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