Custom-Made Volvo Trucks | Mega Manufacturing | Free Documentary

[Music] trucks kings of the road with enormous power their manufacturer demands a good I absolute precision and above all perfect logistics logistics part is very important for a company like ours it makes all the difference it determines whether we win or lose the most powerful engines in the industry for approximately 200 trucks each day each one unique built to the customer's specification and a feat of logistical profession timed to the minute the Volvo FH one of the most popular trucks in Europe and every single one must be absolutely reliable and safe [Music] situated just outside the belgian town of Ghent lies Volvo's largest truck manufacturing plant it's the ideal location close to thousands of customers across Western Europe approximately 42,000 trucks are produced here each year including their bestseller the Volvo FH 420 up to 750 horsepower to up to four axles gross combination weight of over 70 metric tonnes price starting at 85,000 euros the mega factories day begins at the port of Ghent at 6:00 a.m. with a daily container ship from Sweden it delivers the most important parts for building the FH Yannick mas is responsible for unloading the shipment and he's under considerable time pressure the challenge is to unload the ship and then load it again as quickly as possible this has to be done in one shift so that the ship can set sail again on time the containers have to be off as quickly as possible so that the parts are available at the factory on time things happen in rapid succession now trailer for trailer around 75 of the containers on the ship each weighing up to 30 metric tons are destined for the mega Factory secured with a special anchoring system and parked as close as possible to maximize load capacity aboard ship these need to be landed and on the road as soon as possible they contain everything from steel girders for the chassis axles gearboxes and small items to radios microwaves and truck engines all locked loaded and ready to continue their journey to the factory another key component of the Volvo FH has just arrived at the port 2 this time by train [Music] the Cavs they come from Sweden as well the specialists in Ghent turned the raw naked cab into a completely furnished long-haul truck app customized according to the customers wishes these stickers indicate the cab model and chassis nastasi number associated they're here on our list too unfortunately they're not always loaded onto the train in the right order for instance four four eight is here in beside eight four four zero so we first have to line up the cabs properly on the parking lot here so they arrive at the factory in the correct order everything in the factory is governed by the chassis numbers they determine the order in which the trucks are built which is why the raw naked gabs have to be in the right order here too and because they're already painted care must be taken to avoid scratching them [Applause] the forks of the forklift truck are fitted with special protective guards this ensures they don't come into direct contact with the cabs and scratch them the freight wagons are custom built so that the cab's fit exactly and don't get damaged during transport there are three different cab sizes available and 650 color options the most popular color white once properly ordered they immediately head to the factory by truck about this it's vital that the cabs arrive at the factory on time although we have a buffer of around 40 cabs we have to maintain a continuous supply otherwise production would grind to a halt and that would be a big problem agreed delivery dates could be missed which would be disastrous for customer relations and their brand image all the components that make up the Volvo FH are now on their way to the factory the truck plant consists of four main sections the fitting center a huge tire and rim warehouse the market adaption Center for the seemingly infinite customizations and special requests the cab trim the large cab assembly building and the vast main Assembly Building the heart of the factory the truck is assembled here in the 75,000 square meter main Assembly Building at the center of the building the twin track assembly line 420 meters long [Music] piece by piece a thousand workers assemble one of the most popular trucks in the world the Volvo FH [Music] it consists of three main sections the steel chassis forms the basis in the middle the heart of the brake system the air compressor the axles are fitted to the chassis the number depends on the customers requirements then comes the mighty engine the last major section needed to complete the truck is the cab each one unique everything begins with the steel girders until recently in containers at the port a side loader for cliff now transports them into the main assembly building a side support measures five and a half to twelve and a half meters in length depending on the trunk version two side supports form the subframe of the FH the chassis two workers start by applying a simple white adhesive tape to the side supports this will act as a guide they then mount across support it connects the long side supports and now the sticker tape comes into play it's there so that the assembly line workers know exactly where they have to put which bolts there are over 50 different bolts screws and rivets and the side support can have up to 330 holes lots of room for costly error [Music] [Applause] [Music] production manager kun laymen's has an overview of the entire production operation and he knows a mistake made at the beginning could have fatal consequences this is a rata clock what the workers do here is very important it's the start of production that aesthetic all of the downstream assembly is based on this frame yes everything done afterwards depends on the workers here correctly installing every part a single rivet in the wrong place and further down the assembly line another part will no longer fit the consequence production stoppage instead of a smooth mega manufacture up to a thousand cable ties per truck have to wrap around the right cables otherwise it may be impossible to mount the engine or the cab on the chassis later on around 1500 individual parts are installed in 210 operations over the next eight hours from the simple unadorned chassis to a state-of-the-art truck each of the trucks that rolls off the assembly line here in Ghent each day needs this part the air pressure monitor a piece of equipment essential for the braking system these hoses carry the air and because every truck is unique a different combination of hoses are required for each model a machine cuts a specific set for each truck from a choice of twenty kilometers of varying thickness of hose each day they now have to be attached to the air compressor but the variety of hose means no two fixes are the same keeping track here is critical or it can be very dangerous if you make a mistake here a vital part of the truck won't work there look for the Garmin this device modulates the braking force so it's crucial that I attach everything properly flexible perfect there's a code here and that tells me which hose has to go away from the quarter a lot this has to be done right four bits - otherwise the control system can lockup or the brakes fail this is the heart of the entire brake system the air compressor is now ready to be installed in our chassis one of approximately 42,000 each year installation requires absolute precision if a hose doesn't sit properly or has a kink it will prevent the entire truck working done all the small components are installed but these steps could be carried out differently in the future greater efficiency fewer sources of air in an adjacent building there working on the production operation of tomorrow in the training centre the goal of these engineers the digital Factory mega manufacturing with 3d guidance on monitors directly at the assembly line you can see here how its inserted as an instruction manual you can zoom in and check how it's done in detail the advantage is that you can zoom out to any level here for example you can move out a little bit and see where the cable has to be attached fully automatic [Music] Moscow mascot is director of engineering and maintenance and he wants to use this live data from the assembly line to improve workflow in real-time but that's not the most exciting bit we call this here a virtual story we want to use virtual reality to train the workers on new products it gives them a better idea of what to expect yeah Anoka needs to build them from the new bazaar candy apples apples of corn this phase right now he's virtually inspecting a new truck how it's built and what new features it has this not only allows our engineers to familiarize themselves with a product but more importantly train our assembly line workers and operating to heavens roseola to really taste committee this new technology will soon be rolled out in the main assembly area in order to build even better trucks in less time the chassis of the FH it's now ready for a significant moment in the mega factory production director crude is present when the trucks frame is lifted into the air Oh a color here that from there I love this station Gaelic the chassis is now finished that's what we hear next we turn it over and transport it to the automatic assembly line three Verlaine brangham from then on the assembly line moves forward without stopping while we build the rest of the truck on the frame it belongs a moment all of the cables are now installed and after the station here everything on the assembly line runs at a predetermined speed without a break this is when all the large sections are fitted the axles the engine the cab now it's time for the big parts approximately 1,800 kilograms begin the next stage of their journey position so that the trucks axles can be fitted everything is carefully coordinated in this truck mega factory just a few meters away the most important part is about to enter the building the engine manufactured at the main plant in Sweden and painted an iconic mobile green with between 420 and 750 horsepower six cylinders which when firing can displace an eye-watering 16 liters next the transmission clutch an alternator are fitted to the powerful engine now fully assembled it can finally be installed in the chassis there's one engine attachment that production director kun is particularly fond of [Music] this is the I shift our pride and joy a manual transmission in which various elements act in concert to make it easier to change gears Ocalan this is our special innovation the heart of the engine very important to us it's a patented development inspired by the motor racing scene its purpose smoother gear changes and reduced stalling the secret of the ice shift transmission it has two Drive shafts that are connected to the engine via two clutches when driving the first gear is engaged via one shaft the other shaft already engages the second gear [Music] this immediately becomes active when changing gear without the usual interruption [Music] it prevents a loss of traction a great help on Hills at the engine station in the main Assembly Building the engine is waiting to be installed in the chassis it's now lowered toward the assembly line from above below the axles are already waiting to be connected to the driveshaft and then both will be attached to the chassis from now on the assembly line is fully automatic the clock is always ticking the engine has arrived fully fitted and weighing it at 2,000 kilograms this is one of the most important sequences at the plant everything has to fit perfectly [Applause] I guide the engine that means I make sure it's lowered exactly into the chassis we all have to pay attention that none of the cables get damaged in the process it's pretty tricky but it works a wonderful sight for fans of pure brute horsepower Spahn thought fantastic we call this a marriage we have three marriages in the factory the axles with the chassis the engine with the chassis and the cab with the chassis so this is a happy occasion for us there are only three connections between the engine and the chassis but that's enough when I see one of our trucks on the road see its engine I say to myself I did that I installed that engine it always fills me with pride when a Volvo truck drives by it's a great job a computer is used during the final stage of installation the so-called montt system for fixing the engine in position individually according to the stored chassis number with the torque settings for the connections are stored in the computer if these values aren't achieved things can't progress the computer control ensures that the connection is made correctly and the customer can be satisfied or zoton those 20 dates Gabor tests not all that long - now that chassis gets its fifth wheel it will later connect the truck with the trailer from here it isn't much further until the final marriage in the factory is performed producing trucks on an assembly this takes huge amounts of energy on the outskirts of the Ghent plant Pascal director of engineering and maintenance is on the roof of an adjacent building with some colleagues for an on-site meeting concealed from view on the roof is the source of the truck manufacturers energy [Music] an enormous solar plant consisting of 15,000 panels if we want to install the panel here let's see how it can be done the cable comes from down here right from back here understood the Ghent truck Factory was the first carbon-neutral automotive plant in the world we use a combination of technologies on the one hand we have three of our own wind turbines each generating two megawatts and together producing 10,000 megawatt per year in deallocate in doesn't Mia what does tear stir to Twitter per house and then there are our solar panels we've installed 4,500 square meters of they produce 500 megawatt per year and anikanova column faithful at mija watts Maria this is supplemented by solar and hot-water accumulators and the purchase of green electricity apparently a third of the parts used to build the trucks are made from recycled materials too and there's also a biomass plant truck manufacture and carbon neutrality sound like odd bedfellows but it feels good to be able to say that we as a factory are doing something for the environment absolutely back to our truck before its marriage in the main building the custom cab has to be fitted out here at cab trim the still bear caps which arrived from Sweden by train just this morning wait in front of the building it's now time to fit them out each totally unique and different 300 workers in the cab trim Department transformed the bare shelves and two fully furnished caps Matt's wall panels loudspeakers all fitted by hand and especially important the bed 74 or 88 by 200 centimeters in size many customers request to fold away bunks one above the other as in this case [Music] rubber seals how important they are for the production operation and the huge trunk factory will become apparent later on next to the cab assembly line a handful of workers are dealing with the trucks electrical systems from nearly a hundred different switches and plugs they find the right ones for each truck and assemble the instrument cluster [Music] the steering-wheel pedestal is installed now - they check whether all the connections are correct at a test station and the instrument cluster is powered up for the first time the areas surrounding the steering wheel is especially important the main concern is the electronics but we check every rivet and screw and whether all the connectors are plugged in as well modern trucks like the FH are full of computers there's one element that's particularly important for the steering it's a special electric motor on the steering column of the truck sensors dotted around the truck and in proximity to the driver transmit information to this motor 2,000 times a second the result it makes maneuvering less strenuous assists and lane keeping compensates for strong cross winds and even minimizes the impact of potholes Volvo calls this dynamic steering [Music] silicone adhesive is now applied to the finished instrument cluster a special hoist arm lowers the central element of the cockpit into the cab [Music] a few screws and it's fixed in place it takes five and a half hours for a cab to complete its journey through the cab trim building in the truck mega factory and no two cabs are alike one of the 300 women in the factory works in the final third of the building Celine : from Ghent loves working on trucks when I tell people I build trucks they're always surprised because I'm not big and strong but rather a small girl but they're impressed by the fact and that makes me feel good the windshields one of the few components in the mega factory installed by a robot first it measures the exact dimensions of the cab [Music] then it grabs the appropriate windshield apply silicone and installs it with millimeter precision the unit cost two and a half million euros it's important that this task is performed by the robot we need absolute precision here this is vital in order that the windshield sits securely and is wind proof but despite this it doesn't always work flawlessly as we'll soon see time for the seats there are 12 different models to choose from all designed for comfort and durability now comes the steering wheel every one individually adjusted and mounted with this torque wrench this is followed by the doors sideview mirrors and labels but the cab can't be mounted on the chassis just yet we'll find out why in a minute many operations in the mega factory involves strenuous manual word but the tasks this employee performs just using muscle power are soon to be made easier the truck manufacturer is testing a new technology in the cab trim section exoskeletons I don't think this here is sitting right yet I don't think you need to move your arms so far back hold it up again now it's activated the mechanical lifting aid developed in the USA should lighten the load on workers there are some tests that involved workers lifting up to and above shoulder height the exoskeleton helps them do this for example when I'm attaching the roof strip and take that tool the tool from up there above my shoulder was called yes operator Eduardo mom gets started the braces of the device reduced the weight of the lifted parts by almost 7 kilograms it doesn't make Edward faster but he'll have fewer shoulder and back problems later in life actually it is quite easy but you have to get used to it during the first three weeks I had to make big adjustments to my work rhythm and the order of my work steps to a robot wouldn't help here robot is an option where you have to perform the same task over and over again that can be automated but that's difficult to do in our Factory because we have far too many truck and cab variants we need the flexibility offered by our workers we're a factory with humans and meet our operators so I believe that an exoskeleton is better than a robot workers like Edward are testing the technology and five stations in the plan if the results are positive it could become commonplace here back to our cab like every cab in the truck factory custom-built according to the customers wishes Emirate amis checks whether all the optional extras are installed [Music] there's a microwave installed in this truck this is practical for the driver he can use it to warm up or defrost things the microwave has an LED light three power settings and a defrost function it has a 17 litre capacity dr. Burton 3 ho and down here we have a 33 litre fridge it can also be used as a freezer the seat here has air suspension you can adjust it to any height which i think is a good feature as you don't feel the potholes and bumps as much there's a touchscreen with navigation system and popular apps like the Dynamo note system this allows the driver to monitor all his trips and activities and store them for two years if I were a truck driver I'd feel really comfortable here there's plenty of space you can stand upright the bed is great and there's loads of space to store things like clothing and food there's more storage space up here too and there's a mirror for putting on makeup or shaving you can do everything in here this custom mass production operation is made possible thanks to a sophisticated logistics system but something is still missing the cab is now fully assembled and it could now move on to final assembly but this one is going to be subjected to a water test Sam here will take it over to the water testing Bay and check if there are any leaks that cabs are chosen at random and team leader good to declare is a little nervous before each of these tests we occasionally have problems with the robots resulting in a leaky windshield or roof at roof antennas which don't sit securely enough and allow water to get in can be a problem - fingers crossed that shouldn't happen normally if the cab has a leak they have to test the ten preceding and the ten following cabs - this slows down production and the entire factory significantly a 15 minute drenching then it moves to the yard to be manually inspected with a flashlight if tested kin-fung hon ova discovers even a small puddle production will be halted but everything's fine this time the hope for stamp of approval the cab is okay no leaks it can now be brought over to final assemble level 4 Victor [Music] the assemble approximately 200 caps per day depending on the order book ours is now ready to be mounted on its chassis in the main Assembly Building the heart of the truck Factory our chassis together with its engine is now heading toward the climax of the production operation that cab dropped [Music] 1,300 kilograms approached the chassis centimeter by centimeter [Music] everything has to fit perfectly the next cab will arrive in five minutes full concentration is required to bolted joints at the back and two at the front then the marriage is over and the next one begins immediately afterwards our cab is lowered unto our chassis [Music] every time we have visitors to the plant and we watch a cap drop they say now that's a truck it's a really important station for us when the cab's joined the chassis it's now recognizable as a truck following the marriage the truck is nearly finished but something is still missing something from the fitting center the truck plants huge tire warehouse and get one of the biggest in Europe over 550 tread patterns and around 12,500 tires covering an area of 13 thousand square metres a suitable tire to meet every customer requirement and the matching rims too there are a hundred types of rims alone special robots mount the tires on the rims a hundred and sixty-seven an hour it takes 63 seconds for each one faster than a human could do it from here the tires now head to our truck in the main Assembly Building a large five-way torque gun tightens all the lug nuts at the same time this saves time and ensures that no nuts get forgotten the diesel tanks can hold up to 900 liters of fuel and every customer gets to choose the right one for his drug [Music] filling with diesel oil and AdBlue the final operation in the Assembly Building one of approximately 42,000 trucks each year is now heading for the finishing line and the Ghent mega factory it's a very important station here all of the hoses are pressurized for the first time and the power steering is tightened this is the crucial moment when it will become apparent whether there are any leaks in the lines this is an important test after filling the tank if the truck can then drive off the line we can have a big celebration production director kun wants to start up our truck personally [Music] super super perfect a good truck [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] one like this rolls off the production line every ten minutes it's taken eight hours to build the FH starting with the chassis with all the cables hoses and air pressure regulator then the axles the drive shaft followed by the engine with a smooth ice shift dual clutch transmission and finally the cab with the electric motor for the dynamic steering system and one of Europe's most popular trucks is complete but not every fully assembled truck is exactly how the customer wants it that's where the mega manufacturers market adaption center comes in fulfilling special requests [Music] specialists like Daniel D Koenig are responsible for this and the most frequent requested cosmetic changes remove the PA 1/5 it's to be painted in color nine eight seven one seven then PA twenty to sixty in color to 7:05 the customer wants to have specific parts of the vehicle in other colors so Daniels colleagues dismantle the finish truck once again time-consuming but indeed simpler than changing the production workflow in the main Assembly Building meanwhile line manager daniel has to visit the paint mixing room the cab of another truck has to be completely repainted good morning morning how's everyone doing Didier can you finish mixing the color so we can paint the cab please the precise mixing ratio is stored in the computer almost 900 colors are in stock making countless hues and variations possible including loud once we once had a customer who wanted everything in pink in the chassis and pink cab and pink all the plastic parts in pink this was our pink lady something I'll not forget in hurry the desired shade of black is mixed five liters are sufficient to paint a cab the spray job is done manually by small teams of workers in the three paint booths they can repaint practically everything on the truck according to the customers wishes even the entire chassis if the customer so desires in a few hours the yellow cab will look like this one here black is popular but line manager daniel says colorful is making a comeback more and more customers nowadays want parts of the truck in different colors this in yellow this in red this in blue where sometimes rather surprised about the combination of colors but their motto is anything is possible back from the market adaption center to main assembly our truck still isn't ready for delivery what happens following production is as important as the assembly itself a thorough test [Music] the truck will now be put through its paces in the testing Bay the dyno acceleration braking power lights tester crystal clay Maui logs into a computer that's programmed with a test procedure for every truck windshield wipers indicators headlights horn and the best is yet to come the bit I enjoy most is driving and accelerating when I started it was difficult to keep the truck centered but after a few weeks I knew the ropes does he still start off carefully and stay in the lane first at 30 kph instead of 80 to warm up Dom grew up to 1 then christophe steps on the gas will the truck perform as expected not far from the dyno at the end of the main assembly building there's another building for testing the trucks with another focus be on it he is one of the factory's elite testers David Pease 35 years old and at Volvo for 12 years 2 percent of the trucks have to undergo an intensive test with him this time it's the fh16 the premium model David's eagle-eyes spots something that isn't so premium [Music] this here is a scratch on the indicator here in pink of hers I'll show you how when I take the glove off I can feel it I have to report it so it can be replaced booked so Daniel didn't love it phenomenal it connects town hardly detectable even for the camera but David isn't just concerned with a visual appearance he will be the first to drive the truck out of the factory [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] 750 horsepower on its maiden trip on public roads under realistic driving conditions [Music] [Applause] [Music] in order to test things that can't be tested on the dyno [Music] new update moment car using the red light at the front there is the collision warning system and if you drive too close the red light comes on comes if there comes in y'all you can set the distance and decide whether you'd rather be closer or further away Tania Oerlikon Caravan new heiicopter spoiler or fake mere of stock butanone forward collision warning the collision warning and lane keeping system sent these are the two most important things I test I also listen to whether the engine is making unusual noises or anything in the cab is rattling where's Chloe in the cabinet David steps on the gas he has without doubt one of the most sought after jobs in the factory thanks for me it's a childhood dream country 2004 vortex when I started at the factory I kept hearing about the test Department and what they do here who would have on the human thing that I wanted to do that satanic heard dual devours and now my dreams come true dream I'm really happy in my gel big magnetic wall huh and then it calls you to be the Big Easy jump ahead to test driver David drives for 50 kilometres aside from the scratch on the indicator the truck is flawless back to the dyno the test track in the main building tester Christophe brings the FH up to full speed can it reach the required 80 km/h yes it can this Chuck can get up to 19 others can go as fast as 100 or 120 because every truck leaving this Factory is different mega manufacturing individually tailored tech customer requirements test complete and past that time has come our Volvo FH is ready to be handed over to the customer [Applause] like approximately 200 others today already to fulfill their calling as powerful transport machines somewhere on the roads of Europe [Music] they are all built in the belgian town of Ghent [Music] at a mega manufacturer one of the largest truck plants in the world [Music]

Channel: Free Documentary

Views: 1,959,454

Rating: 4.8323221 out of 5

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), 4k, documentary 4k, 4k documentary, uhd documentary, engineering, german engineering, engineering documentary, high tech documentary, mega manufacturing, industrial machinery, construction machinery, volvo trucks, truck factory, truck maufacturing, truck documentary, volvo truck documentary, volvo documentary, volvo trucks 2019, extreme engineering, extreme engineering - topic

Id: hG-uwU5oFVM

Length: 48min 14sec (2894 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 03 2020

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