Nissan Debuts Intelligent Factory

Nissan has launched an intelligent robotics-driven production line at its manufacturing plant in Tochigi, Japan.

Video footage from the car manufacturing giant shows massive robotic arms joining the car body to the chassis, scrubbing the body’s surface and closing the frame with precision.

Human operators stationed by the assembly line maintain oversight of robotic operations and have smartphone wristbands that display vehicle data from Internet of Things (IoT) endpoints.

Robot inspection modules are also installed along with smart machinery for assembling parts around the chassis and body.

The Tochigi plant is the first at Nissan to introduce the intelligent factory production line. The facility is expected to start producing a new crossover electric vehicle, the Nissan Ariya, before Nissan’s current fiscal year wraps up next spring.

Autonomy is being leveraged in a bid to reduce carbon emissions in line with Nissan’s 2050 carbon neutrality target. Nissan also aims to cope with labor shortages anticipated to arise due to Japan’s aging society.

“The automotive industry is in a period of great change and solving the global challenge of climate change is urgent,” said Hideyuki Sakamoto, Nissan’s executive vice president for manufacturing and supply chain management.

“We see this as an opportunity to build the strength of monozukuri (manufacturing), a part of our DNA, to develop and apply innovative technologies to overcome the challenges we face.”