Fiat Plant celebrates 43 years of operation with a new innovation area and a milestone of 150 thousand units of Fiat Argo produced

The Fiat Automotive Plant, in Betim (MG), completes 43 years of operation in this week and has many reasons to celebrate. The plant has just surpassed the 150 thousand units mark of Fiat Argo produced. The hatch number 150 thousand is Fiat Argo Trekking, in the color Monte Carlo red. Another news is the World Class Center (WCC), an innovation laboratory for the development of solutions of the 4.0 Industry.

“The Fiat Automotive Plant is being totally renovated and the driver of this change is the launch of new products. In the beginning of our history, in 1976, many of the operations were manual, but today it is a smart plant, with both modern and efficient systems such as Big Data, Internet of Things, Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence. It is a plant with 43 years completely integrated to the digital era”, states the Industrial Director for Vehicles of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) for Latin America, Francesco Ciancia.

In order to speed up the innovation processes in the manufacture, the World Class Center (WCC) will have a fundamental role. Located in the Final Assembly unit of the Fiat Automotive Plant, this laboratory is in an open and collaborative innovation space, that brings together startups, research centers, universities and suppliers for the development of new solutions targeted at the continuous improvement of the production processes.

With multidisciplinary teams and involvement of all plants of FCA in Latin America, the WCC integrates three areas. The Industrial Innovation Center (IIC) is the space dedicated to the proofs of concept, i.e., simulations in reduced scale to identify if the technology is feasible or not, locally. Second generation exoskeletons, thermography and new applications for the collaborative robots are some ongoing proofs of concept at the WCC. The challenge to connect the solutions already tested and approved at the IIC to the platforms for production of new models occurs at the Work Place Integration (WPI). “At each launch, we want to ensure that new technologies of the 4.0 Industry are installed in the production lines, always assuring more quality and competitiveness”, Ciancia completes.

Finally, the Process Center is the key space to train people. In a mini assembly line, training sessions are performed to share knowledge and tools, integrating the methodology, technology and people. “The WCC is the center of excellence that guides the innovation of the manufacture in Latin America, in a pioneering initiative at FCA in the world. Our strategy is to connect the most varied points with agility, creativity and the engagement of the largest number of people focused on digital transformation”, Ciancia highlights.

150 THOUSAND
The 150 thousand units mark of Fiat Argo produced in the Fiat Automotive Plant crowns the market success of the model, which brings the Italian design with an urban touch. With attributes such as technology, comfort and quality recognized by the criticism and by the consumers, Fiat Argo has just completed two years, showing a growth of 30% in market share in relation to 2018.

PIONEERING
As the first car plant to be installed outside the São Paulo state’s industrial area, the Fiat Plant completes 43 years with the brand of over 15.6 million vehicles produced. Always at the forefront, during the history, the brand has developed technologies which were at the spotlight around the world, such as the first ethanol-fueled car manufactured in series– a technology that has just completed 40 years and inaugurated the use of motors with green fuel.

Until 2024, the resources targeted at the Fiat Automotive Plant will reach R$ 8.5 billion – an amount that represents the largest investment of FCA in Betim since the opening of the plant, in 1976. In a recent visit to Brazil, the world CEO of FCA, Mike Manley, announced the installation of a new plant of GSE Turbo engines at the Fiat Automotive Plant: the already established worldwide GSE T3 and T4 and the brand new E4, of a patent developed in Brazil, with the innovative turbo technology targeted only to the combustion of ethanol. With the investment, Betim will be the largest producing hub of engines and transmission in Latin America, with a production capacity of 1.3 million units per year from 2020 (starting date of production of the turbos). The new unit shall start with the capacity to produce 100 thousand turbocharged propellers per year, but is already created predisposed to the expansion of production.

Fiat plans 15 launches until 2024, among new models, updates of vehicles in special series and line. In Betim, the production of three new models is planned from 2020. Two of them mark the entry of Fiat in the segment of SUVs, which is the one with the fastest growing in the Brazilian market.