The Role of Jigs in the Automotive Manufacturing Industry

In countries with a developed automotive industry, there are specialized companies dedicated to the design and manufacture of car body welding equipment. Having such companies allows the automotive industry to proactively change models, reduce costs, and enhance competitiveness.

In this context, the National Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering – Ministry of Industry and Trade (NARIME) was selected to implement the Project "Research to Complete Design and Innovate Manufacturing Technology for Welding Jigs of Car Front Frames and Side Panels."

At the time the Institute participated in the project, all major jig equipment for domestic automakers such as Ford Vietnam, Honda Vietnam, Toyota Vietnam were supplied by foreign companies. Domestically, only a few enterprises could provide some jig stations, but the design, manufacturing, and assembly stages did not comply with the processes and standards of developed countries.

E-BUS jig set manufactured by Duc Trung Company

Gradual Mastery from Design to Manufacturing

The story of designing and manufacturing jigs for automakers by the National Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering – NARIME began in 2011, when Japanese and South Korean experts visited Vietnam to assess the capabilities of Vietnamese enterprises and find competent partners for designing "car body welding jigs." With years of experience in mechanical design and manufacturing, NARIME was selected after the survey. Subsequently, NARIME leaders and its experts traveled to Japan and South Korea, two countries with developed automotive industries, to learn about this promising new field. After the survey, the Institute established a specialized unit for designing car body welding jig equipment under the Heavy Machinery Center. Through implementation under the guidance of foreign experts, NARIME gradually mastered system design and detailed design, and its design products were exported to Japan and South Korea.

Following this success, the Japanese partner requested NARIME to additionally handle the machining stage. Accordingly, NARIME established a Machining Center with the goal of mastering both design and manufacturing to meet partner demands. The Machining Center was systematically invested in with modern equipment, advanced technology, and personnel, and was guided by foreign experts in machining and assembly. Products designed and machined at the Center have been exported to South Korea and Japan under orders.

In 2018, Duc Trung Technology Joint Stock Company and the National Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering were assigned by the Ministry of Science and Technology to jointly implement the Project "Research to Complete Design and Innovate Manufacturing Technology for Welding Jigs of Car Front Frames and Side Panels" with the aim of expanding and enhancing the capacity of the "car body welding jig" project that the Institute was carrying out.

In addition, for many consecutive years, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has assigned the National Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering to undertake numerous tasks related to the supporting industry (including the supporting industry for automotive manufacturing), investing in specialized Catia software to gradually enhance the supporting industry capacity of the Institute.

Acknowledged Achievements

After three years of implementing the Project "Research to Complete Design and Innovate Manufacturing Technology for Welding Jigs of Car Front Frames and Side Panels," the Heavy Machinery Center of the Institute has essentially mastered the techniques of design, manufacturing, assembly, and measurement/inspection to produce a complete set of car body welding jigs, with very little dependence on foreign experts. The research results have been commercialized, leading to the manufacture of car body welding jig sets for both the domestic market and export.

From the project results, NARIME has now established a JIG Design Center with 25 professionally trained engineers capable of designing and machining most car body parts; the Center's engineers know how to analyze and divide jig sets and design car body welding line layouts. At the same time, a team of staff has been trained in manufacturing, assembly, and inspection of car body welding jig equipment. The Design Center operates and is managed according to the model of SEG Company – Japan. Currently, the Center has built a sufficiently robust design database based on data accumulated during project implementation with Japanese and Korean partners.

To date, NARIME is the only domestic unit that both designs and manufactures car body welding JIGs in strict accordance with the standards of advanced countries. Its design and manufacturing products have been exported to Japan, South Korea, Thailand, etc. Some equipment has been produced under domestic orders and applied at automotive manufacturing plants such as Vinfast, Honda, Hyundai Thanh Cong … It can be said that this success has made a positive contribution to Vietnam's automotive industry.

Source: Cong Thuong Newspaper –  http://tapchicongthuong.vn/bai-viet/cong-nghiep-ho-tro-tang-nang-luc-cho-nganh-o-to-viet-78663.htm