SOUTHFIELD, MI – VinFast, a subsidiary of Vingroup, is the first high-volume automotive manufacturer from Vietnam with a goal of building a smart automotive production facility. Dürr is currently constructing the highly automated facility in Haiphong, Vietnam. The paint shop will feature integrated Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology in addition to an innovative building design that reduces costs and requires less space than conventional facilities.

VinFast is a start-up of the VinGroup, the largest, non-state-owned listed company in Vietnam with a market capitalization of approximately $14.6 billion. Vingroup’s strategy is to become the leading advanced-technology industrial company in Vietnam and the region. The VinFast brand is the group’s first foray into the mobility market and offers enormous growth potential due to the robust demand for vehicles in Southeast Asia.

VinFast intends to establish itself by manufacturing automobiles in a factory equipped with state-of-the-art technology that enables transparent, lean processes. In order to achieve this objective in the paint shop, VinFast commissioned Dürr to handle the project.

“Our paint shop will be the biggest in Vietnam, and highly automated through the integration of numerous IIoT applications. This makes it the benchmark for outstanding quality combined with the best operating costs, the highest ecological standards, and a high level of occupational safety,” explained James Deluca, CEO of VinFast Trading and Production Co.

Patented Layout for a Lean Building

VinGroup constructed the building for the paint shop in less than eight months. Based on a patented concept developed by Dürr, the layout minimizes the investment and operating costs by using only two levels and eliminating the so-called “penthouse” level used by other paint shop configurations. The compact design reduced the concrete area by approximately 15,000 square meters. This corresponds to a saving of more than 20% compared with a conventional concept.

VinFast’s desire for maximum automation of production processes and logistics required IIoT-capable machines from end to end. They are entirely controlled, monitored and supervised in real time using control technology from Dürr. This makes it possible to easily test and optimize the overall equipment efficiency.

Flexible Technology for Future Targets

The paint shop technology meets the current requirements of VinFast while remaining flexible to accommodate future changes. The EcoInCure oven achieves the best possible topcoat appearance quality due to the inside-out heating process and optimized airflow. Each body gets a digital quality certificate for the drying process. The IIoT-capable oven collects and evaluates the data. In addition, EcoInCure’s space-saving, transverse mode of operation in combination with a central high-bay warehouse makes it ideal for the compact building concept.

The principle of heating from the inside is an important benefit for automotive bodies with different material thicknesses — electric vehicles with a reinforced frame on the underbody are a perfect example. The EcoInCure drying method significantly reduces thermal component stresses compared with conventional ovens. VinFast is well prepared for the eventual expansion of the model range to include electric vehicles.

The new VinFast paint shop will also be equipped with the latest generation of the fully automatic EcoPaint robot. This includes the extremely mobile painting robots with seven-axis kinematics, which do not require a rail. This saves space and investment costs. Equipped with a whole range of sensors, they are prepared for the requirements of an Industry 4.0 environment. The robots supply real-time data that is analyzed and evaluated using the latest software products from Dürr.

In addition to the EcoInCure innovations and seven-axis robots described, Dürr will also be installing further technical highlights in the VinFast paint shop.

RoDip Rotational Dip Process

The efficient RoDip rotational dip process will be used at VinFast throughout the PT/EC (pre-treatment and electrocoating) area. The rotational movement of the bodies does away with the need for entry and exit inclines at the immersion tank, making the tanks more compact. This reduces the unit costs because the smaller tank capacity uses less energy, less water and fewer chemicals than other technical solutions.

EcoDry X Dry Separation

EcoDry X for dry paint overspray separation is a multi-stage, easy-to-handle filter system that consists of filter trolleys with six filter boxes each and downstream pocket filters as the second filter stage. The semi-automatic separation system sets the standard for high separation capacity and low filter costs.

With all of these state-of-the-art technologies, the new paint shop for VinFast is geared towards the strategic goals of the start-up: highest quality standards at the lowest operating costs, low environmental impact, high health protection and occupational safety, and high future security.