Adil Jal Darukhanawala - Editor-in-chief, Times ZigWheels Pics: Kunal Khadse        

Fiat's Ranjangaon facility is finally humming with not just activity but positive fervour as the very first saleable Fiat Linea rolled off the ultra modern assembly line on November 21. It contrasts markedly with what was in effect a very large sized ghost shed set up more than a decade ago when Fiat came into India to do the manufacturing business with its then erstwhile partner Premier Automobiles.

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The original Project 178 World Car family, namely the Palio hatchback, the Siena sedan and the Palio Adventure estate were supposed to be the ones which would erase bad memories of the Fiat Uno bungle but these further drove the nail firmly into the Italian car maker's fortunes in this country. Not that it wasn't to blame for this: tardy build quality, a complete lack of understanding of the Indian car market, shoddy customer handling and an inept, disgruntled and low on motivation dealer network were ingredients which spelt not "why" but "how soon" the Italian marque would be erased entirely from the Indian car scape.

Thankfully, in an inspired bit of management derring-do and a fine reading of future scenarios, the stage was set wherein erstwhile rivals Fiat and Tata Motors got together to set up an industrial joint venture known as Fiat India Automobiles Ltd. (FIAL). Both companies hold an equal 50-50 stake in the company and the Ranjangaon plant is key to the outfit's future success.

What started out as a low tech assembly unit for the Palio Stile and the Adventure plus now also of some low end variants of the first generation Tata Indica, Ranjangaon in the last one year has seen hectic action. The Palio / Indica assembly line remains but next to it is a whole new world. First off there is an ultra modern body and shop which must rank as the most sophisticated unit in the automotive manufacturing sector in India.

Important tasks to make up the body in white (like hemming, spot welding, tucker pin welding and body handling) are handled by a total of 19 robots, two of which are units by Nachi while the rest are all from ABB. There is a further facility adjoining this and this is the suspension shop where a total of 18 ABB robots help with the arc and spot welding of the critical underpinnings of the car.

The contrast of the brand new assembly line to that which slowly rolls off the Palio / Indica is striking. Automation is the buzz word here but then so is the ergonomic nature of the assembly process. The latter aspect has helped factor in ease of assembly enabling the lean and new work force to work in stress free conditions without exerting themselves physically. Skid conveyors deliver the painted body shells from the paint shop directly to the assembly line, specialized conveyors get the front and rear suspensions modules to the decking point where they are married to the shell. In fact most sub-assemblies are executed separately and then fitted on to the car. ABB robots mastermind the sealing process of the windscreens and other glass bits on to the shell while specialized manipulators are used to affix dashboard, seats, tyres and fuel tanks on to the cars. The now de-rigeur end-of-line wheel alignment checker, brake and rolling road dyno plus the electrical diagnosis check are all performed with state-of-the-art equipment and of course there is that special light area to ensure blemishless surface finish is maintained all through the assembly process and the car rolls out of the premises.