Audi has started assembling the Audi A6 in India and will add the recently redesigned A4 from late this year.
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Its new plant in Aurangabad, in the state of Maharashtra, will receive investment of EUR30m by 2015 as part of Audi’s strategy to develop production in Asia. The plant is the second in the region after Changchung in China.
The A6 is assembled from CKD kits. Components including painted bodies, pre-assembled engines, and rear axles are shipped directly from Germany. Production processes are based on those used for the R8 supercar produced in Neckarsulm. It takes five work cycles of 90 minutes each to build the A6 from roughly 2,500 parts.
The material for assembly is supplied in ‘component baskets’. These are prepared by logistics employees so that assembly line workers do not have to leave the line to pick parts. Parts are delivered to within a reach of 20cm. Each basket has spaces for specific components, which are numbered according to the installation sequence. All tools are assigned to a single work cycle to ensure that the wrong tool is not used.
Cockpit, front-end, front seats, pedals, doors and the centre console are pre-assembled in the Indian plant.
Around 300 A6s will be built this year. The A4 will be added in late 2008. By 2015 up to 7,000 A4s and 2,000 A6s are expected off-line.
