3D drawings are helping Volvo Trucks and bodybuilders to work together to reduce the lead time on vehicles by up to two weeks. The drawings allow the truck and the body to be built simultaneously.
The more complex the bodywork, the longer the lead time. One way to speed up the process is by building the bodywork in parallel to the production of the truck. Yet in order to determine the exact height and space needed for certain components and thus get the application to match the chassis, the bodybuilder needs access to detailed information on chassis dimensions. With this in mind, Volvo Trucks has now developed advanced three-dimensional (3D) drawings, which are now available for bodybuilders via an Internet-based database.
"The major advantage of 3D drawings is that they allow for a parallel workflow in which the chassis and the bodywork can be produced simultaneously, instead of consecutively. Put simply, the bodybuilder doesn't need to wait for the truck to be finished to find out crucial information about the chassis," said Tor Hesselgren, Body Builder Development at Volvo Trucks.
Photos: Tor Hesselgren; Volvo 3D drawing.