PICS : Jaguar's Castle Bromwich (UK) Factory. Detailed report on the making of the XJ

[vinmechanic]

Awesome thread Khan_Sultan,

Having worked in various Tractor/excavator manufacturing/assembly plant, I'd hardly got chance to see this level of automation in assembly process.
How did you manage to get permission to click pictures inside the plant ?

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Is the paint shop within the factory premises or are the cars painted elsewhere and brought back to the factory?

I am sure the paint shop is in the factory itself (though we did not get a chance to see it). Have a look at the picture below. The closed overhead bridge kind of structure is meant to transport parts/structures between various parts of the factory. Am sure this is used to take the body to paint shop and then to the trim & assembly section
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...king-xj-35.jpg

Originally Posted by shobhit

...What does the testing include ? I remember from Ferrari's Megafactory show coverage, that is a 20 mile test run of each vehicle at in-house test tracks, subsequent to a rigorous tests on a dyno. Is track testing a part of JLR's process ?

The VCATS testing would involve all the electronic, all systems testing. I am not sure of the track at this factory (didn't ask). However there is a private test track at the Land Rover facility

Secondly, did the discussion on lightweight structures touch upon composites, or was it restricted to alloys and aluminium ?

Oh yes, there was quite a bit of discussion on composites & how in the far future, composites will be the way to go. Here you see a slide with comparison on steel/aluminium/magnesium/composites

...What about their efforts of reducing weight and emissions of the engine? Now after this post I know they use Ford's facility but please provide more details of the engine and transmission...

XJ comes in 3 engine options. 3L V6 Diesel, 5L V8 NA Petrol & the 5L Super Charged V8. All of these options use the 6 speed auto transmission. Recently a new 3L V6 Petrol engine has been developed and will be available soon.

It was mentioned that reducing weight has a direct impact on the emissions. Here is a slide that explains the same.

Originally Posted by LP640

Finally an aluminium production facility! Never imagined that working with aluminium would be so different. No spot welding or seams, just rivets and glue!
It really is a brave step to move to aluminium from steel. And Jaguar seems to have mastered it!

Yes, working with aluminium is lot different than steel & Jaguar is clearly a leader in mass producing aluminium based cars. Just have a look at this slide to see how the Jaguar XJ structure is lighter than it's competitors. (No prizes for guessing what A, B, D means)

Originally Posted by vinmechanic

...Having worked in various Tractor/excavator manufacturing/assembly plant, I'd hardly got chance to see this level of automation in assembly process.
How did you manage to get permission to click pictures inside the plant ?

Yes, 87% of all the riveting etc is done by robots. You are right that normally cameras are not allowed inside the plant but we had all the permissions/freedom to shoot whatever we wanted in the XJ production line during our visit.

[ajmat]

Excellent review

Re: weight figures for the car - I just want to add that Tterm "JLR Teardown" data denotes that they actually procured an S class, dismantled it and analyzed the cost of every part.

Now there is a person in France who procures the car, tears itdown and sell the data to any manufacturer who needs the data. Saves a lot of cost by sharing common data

[Desmosedici]

Superb Stuff Khan Bhai. Loved every pic and every word of it. Awesome Thread Thanks for sharing with us. Its amazing to know how these machines get assembled.

[W.A.G.7]

Very nice report! Amazing to see how only aluminium plates are transformed into what we call as a 'car'. The car and logo in the very first post and the top view of the red Jaguar is enough to make you drool.

How do you get an invite to visit the factories? Can we contact them directly and ask for permission if we can visit the factories?

[ajman28]

Very nice review.

Was there any surface treatment done for the alumimium body?

Slightly OT: Most of the workforce shown in the pictures look like older folks! Was this only in the pictures you have uploaded or was this a phenomenon across the plant?

[extreme_torque]

Awesome report! Really appreciate the hard work and time that has gone in to produce this. Hats off!

[rtandon]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

We didn't see the paint shop hence don't have information about the process.

Originally Posted by LP640

Finally an aluminium production facility! Never imagined that working with aluminium would be so different. No spot welding or seams, just rivets and glue!
It really is a brave step to move to aluminium from steel. And Jaguar seems to have mastered it!

Originally Posted by ajman28

Was there any surface treatment done for the alumimium body?

Ajman, you have asked the question in the précis manner I couldn't. What got me thinking was the good old Galvanic series - Al should corrode more than Steel or iron. That's why I asked about electrolysis. Correct term is anodizing. Duh!
Although I'm not sure if Jaguar relies on natural corrosion resistance - Al2O3. Maybe the sheets themselves are anodized before being sent for stamping. Imagine anodizing the body after it is assembled. What was I thinking.

LP640, welded joints would corrode the aluminum body. There should be coating on the rivets to make sure it isn't in contact with Al unless the rivets themselves are of Al. khan_sultan can probably confirm it.

Al is a fascinating metal. Look at the attached link for better read.
http://aluminumintransportation.org/...ce-of-aluminum

[deetjohn]

Brilliant Report! Thank You for sharing with us. And you are one lucky chap.

Rivets, adhesives, aluminium & no welding. Have read about it, but never seen it. Quite Impressive!

1 question though. Do the service centers get the equipment/ personnel to fix a body part after an accident? How do they fix it if the car is not a write off?

[luky_13]

Reading this was equivalent to watching the making of the 'Titanic' if not more exhilerating. Thank you Khan_Sultan for bringing this to us lesser mortals.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by rtandon

Ajman, you have asked the question in the précis manner I couldn't. What got me thinking was the good old Galvanic series - Al should corrode more than Steel or iron. That's why I asked about electrolysis. Correct term is anodizing. Duh!

LP640, welded joints would corrode the aluminum body. There should be coating on the rivets to make sure it isn't in contact with Al unless the rivets themselves are of Al. khan_sultan can probably confirm it.

The aluminium is treated when the panel sheets are made and different panels use different grades of AL-alloy. The rivets are not of pure aluminium but coated with special steel. Aluminium rivets will just not pierce through. Check the rivet in this picture.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...king-xj-27.jpg

Originally Posted by deetjohn

...1 question though. Do the service centers get the equipment/ personnel to fix a body part after an accident? How do they fix it if the car is not a write off?

GREAT question! The philosophy is of "remove & replace" parts. No tinkering & fixing for most parts. Each major market/area will have a master center that will have riveting capabilities if some parts needs riveting. For example, in India, Mumbai is the master center.

The benchmark for repair being that the car should not be in service center for any time more than a comparable steel body car.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

We didn't see the paint shop hence don't have information about the process.

Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok

Also please post details of the paint booth section if you have.

For some reason, manufacturers are fiercely secretive of their paint processes. While they allow a walk-through and photographs everywhere else, paint shops are strictly off limits. Of the factories that I've visited (VW, Ford, Mahindra), no one allowed us to even look at the paint shop....leave aside taking pictures.

[foby.sebastian]

Simply awsome and superbly descriptive walkthrough of the amazing Britt.

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by GTO

Of the factories that I've visited (VW, Ford, Mahindra), no one allowed us to even look at the paint shop....leave aside taking pictures.

Maybe not to attract the attention of environmentalists, since paints are hazardous by nature and they are still using outdated techniques. Maybe they will allow in future when they develop eco friendly methods to paint a car, just like how the construction industry is shifting to eco-paints.
Guessing so, because i remember seeing a pictorial essay in some magazine two decades back, of a merc body shell getting painted. Those days eco-friendly was not a buzzword.

[sai_ace]

WOW! what a thread! felt like viewing a Nat geo Megafactory show. Excellent photos as well. Thank you!

Talking about Megafactory - I Remember them showing the paint and other treatment processes in the manufacturing of Audi R8, RR Ghost and Lambo Murcielago SV. No secrecy issues there.