State-of-the-art engine technology with KUKA Systems

KUKA Systems Assembly & Test, based in Bremen, has produced a new engine assembly line for the customer FPT - Fiat Powertrain Technologies. The system was already inaugurated and put into operation in the Polish city of Bielsko-Biala with a ceremony.

The assembly line covers an area of approx. 7000 square meters and stretches over two stories. A new low-consumption and low-emission two-cylinder engine for the Fiat 500 and other models produced by the company is assembled in a total of 51 automatic and 75 manual work stations every 40 seconds

The individual work stations are connected to one another by means of transport and conveyor systems with a total length of over 700 meters. Highly automated assembly processes with automatic component feed loading have been implemented. This offers maximum flexibility for the process sequence and indexing. Material feeding and manual operations have been designed following world class manufacturing principles as per FPT standards. Up to 450,000 engines can be manufactured annually in this system, the capacity can be increased in accordance with market demand.

"KUKA developed and built this highly efficient assembly line to support the introduction and market success of small, fuel-efficient and low-emission car engines," emphasized Dr. Till Reuter, CEO of KUKA AG. "At the same time, we have won a new automotive customer, FIAT, that assembles cars in one of Europe's upcoming East European countries."

Fiat unveiled its new Twin Air engine for the Fiat 500 small car to the world’s press at the beginning of July. The car’s designers had followed the current trend towards downsizing to minimize the impact on the environment by reducing CO2 emissions. The Twin Air has two cylinders, a capacity of 0.9 liters and a power output of 65 hp, or 85-105 hp for the turbo models.