Robot-driven van inspection set for Vauxhall Luton

Citation

Mortimer, J. (2012), "Robot-driven van inspection set for Vauxhall Luton", Assembly Automation, Vol. 32 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2012.03332baa.002

Robot-driven van inspection set for Vauxhall Luton

Article Type: News From: Assembly Automation, Volume 32, Issue 2

Vauxhall’s Luton van plant is to replace many of its robots under a £175 million investment that its parent, General Motors, plans for the UK facility that will build the next generation Vivaro van from 2014.

Requests for quotation (RFQs) for new equipment, including robots, will be issued in coming months. They will cover new assembly fixtures for underbody, bodyside and closure lines, as well as body framing. Press lines will receive new dies.

Today, the plant has 89 robots in the bodyshop and 50 in the paintshop.

How much of the present facility will be new is unclear as the final layout has yet to be finalised. However, some 25 percent of robots could be carried forward; the aim is to achieve high percentage re-use without compromising efficiency. More than half of total investment could be spent in the bodyshop.

The next generation of Vivaro, X82, is a co-development of GM and Renault, with the French company responsible for base vehicle engineering. However, Vauxhall/Opel has complete responsibility for manufacturing strategy. It has engineers in Luton, Russelsheim and Millbrook, UK – the Vauxhall Commercial Vehicle Engineering Centre.

Renault will make its version of X82 at Sandouville, near Le Havre; target capacity is 100,000. Plant capacity at Luton on two shifts is 70,000 a year – 300 a day.

In contrast to the Luton plant, a low unit cost, low investment facility on three floors, Sandouville has high levels of automation with as many robots in general assembly as Luton has in its bodyshop. Luton has one robot in general assembly.

One planned robot development for Luton is body-in-white inspection. At present Luton uses a fixed camera system but best practice is robot inspection. This is very efficient and measures more points. Already used by Renault, it would bring increased dimensional stability to the Luton bodyshop and improve build quality.

Renault has ABB and Fanuc robots at Sandouville whilst Luton’s bodyshop uses Comau and Fanuc machines.

Luton’s workforce includes 1,100 directs as well as 400 contractors and service providers. On three shifts the plant built 95,030 vans in 2007 – a record year. It is the UK’s biggest light commercial vehicle builder, making vans for Vauxhall, Opel, Renault and Nissan. From 2014 it will make only Vauxhall and Opel brands.

In 2012, Luton engineers will inspect early X82 prototypes ahead of the first preproduction vans on the line at Luton in 2013. Luton engineers have already inspected mule build in France. The first van is due 6 January 2014.

John Mortimer