An automobile body frame is composed of thousands of components. This is accomplished using high-precision welding jigs to fix the components together during the welding process. Initially, the automobile body frame components are welded into small sub-assemblies. Subsequently, these small sub-assemblies are welded together to form larger body frame assemblies. Through this assembly welding process, a complete automobile body frame is produced.

Figure 1: Image of an automobile body frame composed of many different components

Major automobile manufacturers today have numerous production and assembly plants in countries around the world. To meet consumer demand and preferences, these manufacturers continuously change models to create vehicles with different designs each year. Every time a model changes, the body frame changes, and consequently, the jigs for welding the body frame also change. From this, we can see that the market for designing and manufacturing automotive body frame welding jigs has significant development potential. The design and manufacturing of these devices and jigs is also considered one of the crucial supporting industries for the development of the automobile industry in Vietnam.

In countries with developed automotive industries, there are companies specializing in the design and manufacture of equipment and jigs for welding automobile body frames. The existence of companies that design and manufacture equipment and jigs for welding automobile body frames helps car manufacturers be proactive in changing models, reducing costs, and enhancing product competitiveness.

Furthermore, when domestic entities master the technology, if a production line encounters a problem, troubleshooting and repairs can be carried out quickly, reducing dependence on foreign contractors. This avoids waiting times and significantly minimizes costs in the event of breakdowns or upgrades and improvements to the production line. This self-reliance will make a positive contribution to the domestic automotive manufacturing industry.

In automobile manufacturing plants, there are three main types of production lines: the welding line, the assembly line, and the painting line. Currently, many major automobile manufacturers are building and expanding their production plants in Vietnam, such as VinFast, Skoda, Ford, Honda, Hyundai... Therefore, it can be seen that the automotive jig market in Vietnam is opening up many opportunities for domestic entities.

The Heavy Mechanical Engineering Center, under the National Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering, invested in building a Jig design team with guidance and training from Japanese and Korean experts starting in 2012. Recognizing the opportunities and development potential of the automotive welding jig market early on, the Heavy Mechanical Engineering Center was determined to build a design and machining team, mobilizing various personal funds to invest in training, learning, and purchasing machinery and equipment. To date, the Center has over 50 experienced engineers capable of designing and arranging the machining of most types of welding jigs for automobile body parts. The Center's engineers have learned to analyze and divide jig sets, design and layout automobile body welding lines, and have trained teams for machining, assembly, and measurement/inspection of automobile body welding jig equipment. The Center has built a sufficiently robust design database through accumulated experience from projects with Japanese and Korean partners and other domestic and international projects. The Center also continuously builds the brand and position of the National Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering (NARIME) in the automotive body frame welding jig market through the quality of goods and services provided in past, ongoing, and future projects.

Figure 2: Image of a training session conducted by a Korean expert for the welding jig design department at the Heavy Mechanical Engineering Center

Currently, the National Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering is the leading domestic entity in designing, manufacturing, and supplying automobile body welding jig equipment lines meeting the standards of major car manufacturers such as BMW, Honda, Hyundai,... Specifically, the National Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering is the main contractor supplying equipment lines and welding jigs for VinFast automobile production projects, such as: Supplying welding jig lines for the body shop of 10m and 12m electric buses; Supplying equipment lines and welding jigs for body parts of electric passenger cars VFe34, VF8, VF9, VF5, VF6, VF7, VF3...

Figure 3: Image of an automobile body frame jig set

However, during the participation in automotive welding jig projects, the entity has also encountered many difficulties and challenges during project implementation:

The first challenge is how to win the bid for an automotive welding line project. Currently, we have to compete in bidding with contractors from India and China, going through 4-5 rounds of price negotiations to select the contractor with the lowest price. Foreign entities are all large, experienced contractors. They receive significant price advantages from equipment suppliers worldwide. Therefore, price competition is a major difficulty for domestic contractors. If a domestic supplier cannot design and manufacture the jig equipment themselves and has to subcontract it, it is very difficult to compete on price and win the bid.

 Second is the technical challenge. The supplier must optimally divide the number of welding stations, thoroughly understand the welding process, and know how to connect the welding line with robots in an automated welding line. The challenge here is to determine the most suitable welding parameters for welding automobile body frame components, especially when welding components made of different materials. The welding materials for automobile body frame components can be aluminum welded together, or welding aluminum components to steel components, or components made of very hard hot-stamped silicon-coated steel, while still ensuring the weld characteristics meet the car manufacturer's requirements and the welded component dimensions meet specifications. For Hemming technology, the challenge is how to achieve the required smoothness and flatness of the hemmed component as specified by the car manufacturer... The entity faced many difficulties in the early stages of implementing this. The entity had to send samples to many specialized welding technology units worldwide, hiring them to test and advise on suitable welding parameters. This required going through numerous trials with significant costs before arriving at the appropriate welding parameters.

Third is the challenge regarding schedule. For car manufacturers, the vehicle launch date is nearly fixed. Therefore, the deadline for completing the body frame welding is always very tight. In the projects the entity has executed for the production of vehicle models at the VinFast automobile manufacturing plant recently, the project schedule has always been a major challenge. The design data for the vehicle model changes frequently, leading to redesign and remanufacturing of the welding jigs, but the final deadline changes little. To meet this, the entity's team of engineers and managers had to work extremely hard and tirelessly, day and night, to ensure the schedule was met.

Fourth is the challenge regarding capital. The projects that the Institute has undertaken with VinFast in recent years have been worth hundreds of billions of VND, but they only advance thirty percent of the contract value, which creates significant difficulties in terms of working capital for project execution. The entity had to mobilize all resources to ensure sufficient capital for project implementation.

The Heavy Mechanical Engineering Center firmly believes that, with the attention of leaders at all levels in the mechanical engineering sector, and the tradition of solidarity, creative labor, diligence, and perseverance of all its staff and employees,... the Institute will seize favorable opportunities for its sustainable development orientation, overcome challenges, and achieve many excellent results not only in the automotive body frame welding jig market but also in other supporting industry fields./.

Source: https://ckds.vn/oto-xe-may/thi-truong-do-ga-han-khung-vo-o-to-o-viet-nam--co-hoi-va-thach-thuc-2605