ChangAn Automobile has officially inaugurated its first international new energy vehicle (NEV) production facility in Rayong, Thailand, based on the company’s strategic emphasis on smart automation and digitalized manufacturing. The facility is equipped with five advanced production lines—welding, painting, general assembly, machining, and battery—designed to optimize output through automation, energy efficiency, and flexible production capabilities.
According to the company, automation in the Rayong factory reaches 90% in quality control processes, marking the highest such rate in the Thai automotive industry. The welding line employs 39 industrial robots and advanced joining technologies such as flow drill screws (FDS), elastic punch sealing (EPS), and self-piercing rivets (SPR), which are intended to enhance structural integrity. The painting line integrates 29 robots using automated spraying systems that reportedly extend paint life to 15 years while reducing emissions by 40%.
The general assembly area consists of 140 workstations, including 18 fully or semi-automated units. Technologies such as automatic sealers and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) enable the plant to handle multi-model, multi-propulsion system manufacturing. Forty-five AGVs operate across the facility to support flexible part transport and streamline the assembly process. The propulsion assembly line also integrates high-precision processes, including engine tile-matching and visual-guided battery assembly across 22 separate steps.
Digitization forms a central component of the Rayong plant’s operations. All systems operate within a microservice-based digital architecture that supports real-time production scheduling and coordination. The plant utilizes 77 surveillance cameras and 62 checklists to inspect 71 quality points across the production cycle, overseen by the company’s ChangAn Quality Operating System (CAQOS). This structure is intended to enhance supplier quality control, vehicle production monitoring, and downstream service integration.
The automation-driven model at Rayong aims to reduce vehicle production lead times from 21 to 15 days and support localized manufacturing in Southeast Asia. With plans to introduce 12 new energy vehicle models over the next three years, ChangAn is positioning the Rayong facility as a central node in its global supply chain, integrating advanced robotics and digital management to drive efficiency, adaptability, and quality in NEV manufacturing.
