Airtificial manufactures door assembly lines for BMW in Mexico
- The company has signed contracts with a German Tier 1 supplier for the production of assembly lines with ‘smart’ pre-assembly and assembly technology for vehicle doors, which will be used for the mass production of several car models of the German automotive giant BMW. Airtificial’s high industrial technological expertise has allowed it to diversify its services, and these liners are the first to be manufactured for the assembly of car doors.
- These new assembly lines incorporate technology known as ‘Smart Bin Picking’, which is heavily integrated with artificial intelligence (AI) and is notable for its ‘flexibility’ in assembling different types of parts. This results in greater efficiency in terms of time and resources during manufacturing. This ‘added value’ is what Tier 1 has taken into account when choosing Airtificial over other international Tier 2 suppliers, as current assembly lines require adjustments each time the type of door to be assembled is changed.
- Airtificial Intelligent Robots, a business unit of Airtificial Group, will produce these robotized linear robots at its plant in Mexico and deliver them turnkey to Tier 1 factories in the United States, thus reinforcing the group’s position as a benchmark automotive supplier in the NAFTA market.
Madrid, October 11, 2024. Airtificial has signed contracts with a renowned German Tier 1 supplier for the production, assembly and turnkey delivery of intelligent assembly lines for large-scale vehicle doors manufacturing. The Intelligent Robots business unit will develop these lines at its plant in Mexico, equipped with ‘Smart Bin Picking’ technology, which incorporates artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms and allows the assembly of doors of different car models without the need for adjustments in the line itself, as is currently required in manufacturing processes.
This new technology enhances manufacturing efficiency and optimizes resources in car assembly, which is the added value that the German Tier 1 has taken into account when choosing Airtificial over other international Tier 2 suppliers. The assembly lines will be sent to a North American plant of the Tier 1 supplier, which will manufacture for the German automotive giant BMW.
Intelligent Robots (IR), Airtificial Group’s business unit for the design and production of advanced automotive technology, which integrates robotics, vision, and artificial intelligence, will be responsible for developing and manufacturing three robotic lines for car door assembly. This will be achieved through a new technology called ‘Smart Bin Picking,’ which consists of an advanced system of robotics and AI that enables a robot to autonomously identify, select, and extract specific objects from containers or ‘bins’ that typically contain mixed or randomly stacked parts. This system employs artificial vision, deep learning algorithms, trajectory planners and control software, among other components. This Airtificial-branded model, in addition to being standardizable, will offer numerous competitive advantages such as increased precision and speed in processes, operational flexibility, and cost reduction.
The robotic assembly lines will be designed and manufactured at Airtificial’s facilities in Querétaro, Mexico, one of the group’s major assets and a strategic hub in the NAFTA market. Once completed, they will be delivered in three phases to the German Tier 1 automotive client’s plants in the United States. The first phase is scheduled for the beginning of the second quarter of 2025, the second for the start of the third quarter of 2025, and the third will take place at the beginning of the fourth quarter of the same year.
In addition to these new contracts, in July of this year, the group signed six more for eleven million euros with four top-tier Tier 1 suppliers to manufacture ‘smart’ assembly lines for power steering and electric brakes, with the commitment to deliver them turnkey to automotive factories in the United States and Mexico. This highlights the group’s position as a partner of choice for complex automotive engineering projects in the NAFTA market.
Airtificial’s CEO, Guillermo Fernandez de Peñarande, states that “Airtificial continues its international and service expansion with the production, for the first time in its history, of these ‘flexible’ assembly lines for car door assembly. Working for automotive giants such as BMW positions the company as a partner of choice in the NAFTA market for the application of ‘smart’ technology. Furthermore, with these contracts, the company continues its commitment to contribute to the development of the industrial sector through the application of cutting-edge engineering and robotics.
About Airtificial
Airtificial offers global and innovative design and manufacturing solutions for the automotive, aeronautics, infrastructure and other industrial sectors, integrating advanced technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence that together with human interaction contribute to a more sustainable development. Listed on the Continuous Market, the company has an operational presence in fourteen countries in the main markets of Europe, America and Asia; and contributes to the digital transformation and the automation and optimization of its customers’ processes in the industrial field through sustainable and competitive growth.
Press contact:
Fernando García & David Otero
Tel: +34 91 576 52 50 / +34 696 249 078
