Automotive "Cradle" Continuously Innovates towards the Future Automotive | Industrial Relics | FAW

Changchun, August 15th (Xinhua News Agency) - Car "Cradle" Continuously Innovates towards the Future

Xinhua News Agency reporters Xu Chang and Li Dian

In August, with clear skies and lush greenery, the factory area of China First Automobile Group Co., Ltd. is located in Changchun, Jilin Province. Shortly after FAW celebrated its 70th birthday, the factory area was bustling with production scenes, machinery roaring, and freight vehicles passing through the factory and workshop.

On July 15th, the delivery ceremony of the 55.77th car produced by FAW was held at the 70th anniversary celebration of the founding of FAW in China. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yan Linyun

Here is the starting point of China's automotive industry. On July 15, 1953, the First Automobile Manufacturing Plant laid the foundation in Changchun, Jilin, marking the beginning of the new China's automobile industry. The first car "Liberation", the first small sedan "Dongfeng", and the first high-end sedan "Hongqi" successively drove off the production line here, giving birth to one "number one" in the history of the new Chinese automotive industry.

The picture shows the first Jiefang brand car driving off the assembly line on July 13, 1956. Shen Jizhong

Walk along Dongfeng Street in Changchun Automobile Economic and Technological Development Zone and come to the "No. 1 Gate of the First Automobile Manufacturing Factory", you will see the White Marble cornerstone engraved with the words "The First Automobile Manufacturing Factory Founding Memorial", as well as the surrounding arch of wooden architecture cornices, blue tiles, red bricks, and extremely beautiful jujube red buildings.

The picture shows Gate 1 of the First Automobile Manufacturing Plant. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Nan

These early buildings of FAW were affectionately referred to as "red houses" by the locals. For the people of FAW, this is not only their place of residence, but also a place of struggle and growth, reflecting the labor scene of "one side production, one side life" in the early days of FAW's factory construction, and also witnessing the tremendous changes in the development of China's automotive industry.

The picture shows the living area of FAW's "Red House". Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang

In 2018, the First Automobile Manufacturing Plant was included in the first batch of China's industrial heritage protection list.

Time flies, and the old factory area with a 70 year history has not been eliminated. Over the years, the old factory area has undergone multiple renovations to meet modern production needs, adding new production lines and equipment, upgrading new technologies, and revitalizing itself.

Entering the stamping workshop of FAW Jiefang where mold fitter Feng Bin works, production lines are running at high speed. It is reported that this stamping workshop was first built in 1954, and in the fifth compartment, a vintage press with a strong sense of time is eye-catching. This press was installed in the body factory of the First Automobile Manufacturing Plant in 1955 and was put into use in July 1956. It has been nearly 70 years since then.

Initially, this press was used to produce front fenders and other products for the first generation of Jiefang cars, and now it is used to produce interior panels for existing models such as J6, with good working condition. In 2010, this press underwent repairs and updates that are in line with the current production process.

The picture shows Feng Bin checking the working status of the stamping machine tool. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang

Renovation of old equipment and automation transformation... Although the Liberation Stamping Workshop is still in the old factory building, there have been earth shaking changes inside, and equipment and technology are constantly innovating.

In the H assembly workshop of Hongqi Factory, which was renovated and upgraded not far from the Liberation Stamping Workshop in 2019, the production line operates with robotic arms waving and AGV handling robots passing through it. Intelligent robots are present in each production process. According to the relevant person in charge, the current intelligent workstations in the workshop have reached 80%, resulting in a leap in production efficiency and product quality.

The picture shows a welding robot welding a car body on the production line in the welding workshop of FAW Hongqi Prosperity Factory. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yan Linyun

After 70 years of development, FAW has established five major production bases in Northeast China, North China, East China, South China, and Southwest China. It has independent brands such as Hongqi, Jiefang, and Pentium, as well as joint venture brands such as FAW Volkswagen and FAW Toyota, with a cumulative production and sales of over 55 million vehicles. Currently, FAW is closely following the development trends of electrification and intelligence in the automotive industry, driving the development of the enterprise with high-level technology self-reliance and self-improvement.