ŠKODA AUTO, plant Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic

On time, on budget and excellent quality – not every major project in the recent past can be described with these attributes. The new paint shop in Mladá Boleslav can claim that without a doubt: 18 months after the foundation stone was laid, the first i.O. body left the paint shop, and a further nine months later the target capacity of 700 bodies/day was achieved.  It was one of the largest single investments for this site in recent years. The building dimensions are gigantic: The gross floor area is almost 22,000 m2 and the gross tonnage is approx. 750,000 m3.

Inside, the paint shop is full of innovations, e.g.:

• The use of dry scrubber reduces waste and the use of chemicals as well as energy and water consumption
• The new dryer technology with its cross-conveyor concept saves space, heating time and energy consumption – while heating/cooling the bodies more evenly
• The high level of robotization results in energy savings and a reduction in skid contamination
• State-of-the-art ergonomic solutions (e.g., overhead conveyers)

What made the jury choose the team around the new paint shop?

• Short time span between start of construction and achievement of ambitious ramp-up curve, which was exceeded by 10 %
• Realization of low-cost solutions, e.g.
  • Ergonomics (grinding of roofs, different floor heights)
  • Mobile working platform; fast mover, low maintenance building surfaces
• Systematic development and training of emergency strategies (e.g., pump failures, emptying/filling of tubs, bodies from drying ovens)
• Intelligent training concepts for employees
• Use of lean in indirect processes (including fast decision-making)
• Area-wide use of digital applications, e.g., digital teamwork, digital quality system, digital visualization of complexity, digital production documentation, smart maintenance

„Simply clever“ – the ŠKODA slogan fits perfectly with the approach of the new paint shop. The planning, implementation and ramp-up of the new paint shop within a very short period of time impressed the jury. This was only possible because the Skoda employees followed the lean principles and invested a lot of energy in the project. This is one of the reasons why the jury is convinced that the Mladá Boleslav plant is well equipped for the future.

>> Portrait of the winner