SEAT S.A. Plant Martorell

The plant in Martorell is facing the biggest transformation in its history. For the new vehicles SEAT S.A. has taken over the Cluster Lead Volkswagen Group for the first time, whereby vehicles for the brands Volkswagen, CUPRA and Skoda are being industrialized. The production of purely BEV vehicles demands major innovations and therefore investments in all trades, or rather, totally new technologies such as the battery assembly. How will SEAT S.A. accomplish such a transformation with the available resources and stay economically successful?

The jury considers the digital mindset, along with the consequent application of lean principles, as a guarantee for success. The organization has internalized that digitalization, in combination with process improvements, is a key to accomplish the goals of the magic triangle “Quality – Costs – Time”.

For applications that are not (yet) covered by the IT systems of the Volkswagen Group, to push performance and processes, production and IT have developed their own systems for the plant. The gaps of those IT systems are being closed in the sense of “Digital CIP Workshops” by self-made digital tools (above all No or Low Code APPs), which are developed by so called Citizen Developers. The savings in hours are tracked for each APP – the average amortization period per APP is very low.

A vivid example is the customized “Lego library” for plant simulation, which is built, maintained, and expanded by citizen developers in collaboration with data stewards. It enables employees in manufacturing and logistics to model, analyze, and optimize processes without having to wait for lengthy IT projects. This radical democratization of data forms the basis for a comprehensive digital ecosystem that ranges from self-service dashboards for shop floor management to real-time digital CIP workshops and a dynamic “Lean 360º” roadmap that links insights with improvement sprints.

At the start of a new vehicle program, production experts enter their requirements into a standardized product DMU and concept review app to ensure that the design loops reflect real-world conditions. As ideas mature, a digital twin of the plant infrastructure serves as a baseline reference for process engineering loops, where virtual validations—from the press line to body robots and paint tunnels to assembly simulations—reduce the need for physical prototypes with over 90% reliability. By bringing forward commissioning through low-code project tracking tools and immersive virtual commissioning workflows, Martorell not only accelerates time to market but also secures production rate targets well before production begins.

In the series, worker assistance apps that can access real-time analytics guide operators through each step. In maintenance, self-created apps with predictive maintenance algorithms help maximize equipment uptime.

At every stage – from concept to development and market launch to series production – SEAT S.A. Martorell demonstrates the improvements achieved through the digitalization of processes. By expanding its digitalization expertise, the SEAT S.A. plant in Martorell has not only changed its own processes, but also impressively demonstrates what it means to be a digitally enabled plant.

For this reason, the Special Award: Digital Mindset goes to the SEAT S.A. plant in Martorell. Congratulations!

The Martorell plant in Spain is SEAT S.A.'s main production facility and one of the most important automotive plants in Spain. Located approximately thirty kilometers northwest of Barcelona, it plays a central role in the production of SEAT and CUPRA brand vehicles. A total of approximately 481.020 vehicles were produced in 2024.

The Martorell plant is being expanded into a center for urban electric mobility for the Volkswagen Group and will begin series production of the CUPRA Raval and Volkswagen ID.2all in 2026. The strategic importance of the site is underscored by a new 64.000 m² battery assembly hall with a capacity of 300.000 battery systems per year and the creation of five hundred new jobs