FANUC has secured another major order from the Volkswagen Group. In 2022 and 2023, the company will supply four of the group’s plants with a total of around 1,300 robots to support production there. The majority of these FANUC robots are destined for Volkswagen’s manufacturing facility in Bratislava, Slovakia. “We are delighted that we can now extend our long-standing and trusting cooperation with Volkswagen to the Bratislava plant,” says Ralf Winkelmann, Managing Director of FANUC Deutschland GmbH.
The main Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg will also receive a large batch of robots. The all-electric ID.3 is due to roll off the production line there from 2023, and FANUC robots will assist with its body construction. FANUC robots will also contribute to the expansion of e-mobility in Audi’s new battery assembly plant in Ingolstadt. The fourth plant that FANUC will supply as part of the major order is the Audi plant in Győr, Hungary, where there has been close cooperation between the two companies for years.
Thanks to a monthly production capacity of around 10,000 robots, FANUC is able to supply major automotive projects within the desired time frame, despite the tense supply chain situation worldwide. FANUC’s robot portfolio comprises more than 100 models, including a selection of SCARA robots, which are in high demand for electric-vehicle battery production due to their payload and proven reliability. In June, at the Automatica 2022 trade fair in Munich, the automation specialist also presented a new robot model for loads of up to 1,000 kg, making it ideal for use in battery production.
FANUC has more than 40 years of experience in the automation of production lines. The Japan-based company has automated its own manufacturing to an extremely high degree. Robots have been producing new robots at the foot of Mount Fuji for decades. In addition to robots, FANUC is a leader in CNC controls, milling, wire EDM and injection moulding machines, as well as lasers.