ASSEMBLY Trends

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MUNICH—Industrial robots in Europe are on the rise: Manufacturers in the European Union’s 27 member states installed almost 72,000 robots in 2022, a 6 percent increase from 2021, according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

FOSHAN, China—Some 100 six-axis robots weld, bond and package EV batteries at the FAW-Volkswagen Automobile Co. Ltd. assembly plant here. The factory produces 300,000 battery packs annually.

TORONTO—Lockheed Martin recently completed a project to evaluate the automation of airframe manufacturing operations using six-axis robots equipped with artificial intelligence technology from Canadian tech startup Xaba.

MUNICH—Outdated and unsupported legacy operational technologies (OT) are exposing substantial vulnerabilities for manufacturers facing escalating threats from nation-state attacks, according to a new study conducted by BlackBerry Ltd.

FRIBOURG, Switzerland—Volvo Cars is using ampliTex flax fiber composites from Swiss company Bcomp to make optional trim for the dashboard and doors of the new EX30 compact electric SUV. It is the first production vehicle to use the new, lightweight material.

MUNICH—Simulation is helping BMW design assembly lines at the company’s new factory under construction in Debrecen, Hungary, more than two years before the scheduled official launch of series production.

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REGENSBURG, Germany—BMW’s assembly plant here has become the first automotive factory in the world to use an end-to-end digitalized and automated process for inspection, processing and marking of painted vehicle surfaces in standard production. 

At the end of 2020, the Renault assembly plant in Flins, France, embarked on a new path to focus on the circular economy. The automaker set a goal of buying less, extracting value from existing products, and creating a new industrial model centered on sustainability.

MUNICH—Siemens and Microsoft are harnessing the collaborative power of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help manufacturers drive innovation and efficiency across the design, engineering, manufacturing and operational life cycle of products.