ABB to supply Volvo with smart manufacturing robotics

January 25, 2024

ABB will supply over 1,300 robots and functional packages to Volvo Cars for the production of the next generation of electric vehicles. The deployment, which will begin in 2024, will take place at Volvo Cars’ production sites in Torslanda, Sweden, and Daqing, China.

The agreement includes functional packages that cover a variety of production tasks, such as spot welding, riveting, dispensing, flow drilling, and ultrasonic weld inspection. Each package is a combination of hardware, software, and services.

In addition, ABB’s latest range of OmniCore robot controllers will be used, which are known for their highly efficient power electronics and use of regenerative braking within the robot, which can result in energy savings of up to 20 percent at sites.

During the deployment, ABB will use its RobotStudio® planning and programming software platform to visualize and optimize the deployment before the robots are installed. This will ensure that production remains uninterrupted. By developing and validating the required automation systems in a virtual space, Volvo Cars and ABB will create solutions that can be engineered once but deployed multiple times.

ABB and Volvo Cars have a long history of joint developments aimed at making car production more efficient and improving the capabilities of industrial robots in this area.