FANUC and Volvo Cars sign global contract

FANUC and Volvo Cars have signed a global contract that sets out a programme of robot supply to the automotive manufacturer’s plants across the globe. The contract will see FANUC provide industrial robots for all the various production shops included in a modern car manufacturing facility, including new battery production facilities in Europe, Asia and America.

In the first phase, FANUC will supply more than 700 robots to a planned new manufacturing site in Kosice, Slovakia, where Volvo Cars expects the first vehicles to roll off the production line in 2026. This facility will be Volvo Cars‘ first site exclusively manufacturing electric vehicles. During the same phase, FANUC will also supply sites in Ghent, Belgium, and Daqing, China.

"Volvo Cars was looking for a long-term partner in factory automation, and we are proud that we will now shape the future of the automotive industry together," says Marco Ghirardello, President and CEO of FANUC Europe.

To ensure the optimal integration of robots into the production lines, FANUC’s team of expert engineers has been busy developing specific hardware and software solutions for a wide range of applications that cover the entire chain of manufacture.

Volvo Cars plans to produce only electric vehicles from 2030 and achieve CO2 neutrality by 2040. The new factory in Slovakia will be a carbon-neutral manufacturing facility, with FANUC contributing to the site’s sustainability.

"The fact that our robots consume little energy, are extremely durable and enjoy maintenance by FANUC for an unlimited period of time, makes us an attractive partner for companies that want to operate sustainably," says Ralf Völlinger, General Manager Robot Business Division of FANUC Europe.

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