Special Report on the Red Flag Project - The 100-Day Battle - A Record of the Red Flag EV Assembly Workshop Renovation Project

The Hongqi EV assembly workshop renovation project aims to enhance manufacturing technology quality and improve the Hongqi brand image, with a planned dual-shift production capacity of 60,000 units per year. The workshop adopts an S-shaped production line layout, maximizing the workspace for operations, and is a modern workshop that integrates flexibility, intelligence, sharing, and information technology. The Ninth Institute is responsible for the general contracting of the entire workshop's processes, equipment, and civil engineering. On November 7, 2018, the installation of the steel structure in the car door line began, marking the official start of the Hongqi EV assembly workshop project construction. From December 15, 2018, when equipment installation began, to February 24, 2019, when debugging was completed, the entire equipment installation and debugging cycle took less than 60 days. On March 29, 2019, leaders from the group company including Xi Guohua, Qin Huanming, and Qiu Xiandong attended the completion and production ceremony of the Hongqi EV assembly workshop renovation project. As the first Hongqi EV sedan slowly rolled off the production line, the project team achieved the goal of '100 days of decisive battle, challenging the impossible,' creating another miracle for the Hongqi project.

Only first-class assembly equipment can produce first-class Hongqi sedans. The EV project utilizes a large amount of intelligent manufacturing technology to provide reliable assurance for Hongqi product quality.

1. The interior trim line uses a circular sliding board. The circular sliding board line is suitable for material transfer between fast and slow lines and can fully meet the process needs of the interior trim line. The circular sliding board line occupies a small area, is safe and reliable, easy to maintain, and has low operating noise. The modular technology of the sliding board line can greatly improve production line flexibility.

2. The chassis line uses heavy-duty EMS.

To meet the needs for flexible and intelligent production, the Hongqi EV assembly chassis line uses a heavy-duty EMS conveyor system made by the Ninth Institute factory with a maximum load of 2.65 tons. The lifting mechanism of the chassis line adopts a scissor structure, greatly enhancing system stability with an action precision of 2mm. The EMS hoist has an open-hold function, making it more flexible and reliable compared to traditional lifting machines.

3. The final assembly line uses plastic belt conveyors. Plastic belt conveyors have low noise levels and long service lives (about 10 years), with various process forms. The belt features modular design and is lubrication-free, making later maintenance more convenient.

4. The sub-assembly and assembly AGV system. AGV carts with dynamic tracking capabilities can achieve accurate docking and automatic assembly of engines and front/rear axles at any workstation with hoists on vehicles, greatly improving assembly quality and efficiency; in sub-assembly lines for instruments and engines, AGVs can autonomously choose to combine with material transport vehicles to separate and move materials at designated locations and times, facilitating capacity expansion and meeting diverse and flexible production needs.

5. High-precision tire assembly. The Hongqi EV assembly workshop uses a fully automated tire assembly system. Suppliers provide production plans and synchronize tire deliveries; after entering the factory, tires are automatically conveyed to assembly stations where wheel positioning systems locate and adjust angles. Robotic clamps automatically grab tires, align them, and tighten them with a precision of up to 0.05mm. Tightening results are instantly uploaded to the tightening system for controllable information and traceable issues.

6. Glass gluing machine. The project team broke conventional design when creating glass assembly stations by innovatively implementing ground automatic glass gluing and aerial glass assembly that meets assembly needs while saving space. Gluing robots automatically identify vehicle model information for glass, grabbing glass to run along set trajectories for automatic gluing completion. After gluing, glass is transported via lifting platforms and aerial transfer machines to assembly stations on steel platforms for assembly, effectively utilizing space to maximize workstation efficiency.

For the cause of Hongqi, people from the Ninth Institute have dedicated their sweat and passion over more than 100 sleepless nights on the construction frontlines; the project team has paid tribute to Hongqi with their actions. 'The sentiment of Hongqi, the dream of Hongqi' resonates in the hearts of the Ninth Institute project team, in FAW people’s hearts, and in countless Chinese hearts—it continues to soar high. New Hongqi, new dreams, new journeys! Hongqi lets ideals take flight!