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Modular design has gradually become a trend

Dec. 21, 2020

● Modular design-from welding to bolt link

Modular design, in fact, simply means to divide a car into several large modules, which are designed and produced independently, and then assembled together. Almost all standardized products around us use "modular design". For example, cars, computers, and mobile phones are assembled from small parts.

As early as 1998, Yan Hong and Qian Hai, who worked at FAW’s Huaiyin Special Purpose Vehicle Manufacturing Plant, published a paper to demonstrate the modular design of semi-trailers. He divided semi-trailers into traction pins, frame, axle assembly, suspension system, There are 9 modules including support device, wheels, service brake system, parking brake device, fence, etc. The main parameters and production process of each module are given.

However, until now, most semi-trailers in China still have not used the "modular" design method. This is because the technical level of semi-trailer manufacturers is average-if you want to achieve modular design, you must have a certain degree of production accuracy and product consistency, otherwise it will be very troublesome if the hole position is not right, so it will be the trend. Robotic production is necessary, and the cost will rise sharply. In the traditional production mode, welding can solve most of the problems caused by low production accuracy, so "modular design" has not been implemented.

On the other hand, it is also because the domestic semi-trailer industry has a high degree of customization and a variety of configurations, so it is difficult to mass-produce the same parts, and ultimately the gains outweigh the losses. Now, with the gradual regulation of the trailer market and the improvement of the technological level of some head trailer companies, the "modular design" has certain conditions.

● High production efficiency, large companies have lower costs

Under the traditional production model, the quality of products is very dependent on the level of workers to a certain extent. "Slow work leads to meticulous work". Therefore, the price of high-quality products of large companies is often much higher than that of small companies.

However, after adopting the "modular design", the production process of the product is more performed by robots. In this way, the product quality mainly depends on the design level and production management. To give a practical example: When the quality of a trailer is low, many people will say "the welders in their factory are really bad", but when the quality of a tractor is low, no one will blame the low level of the production line workers. Say "their design is really bad." This fully shows that the modular design is very low dependent on the level of production line workers.

With the increase in output, the design cost and production line cost allocated to a car will be lower, and high-quality products of large enterprises can be sold at low prices. For example, CIMC's latest trailer pioneer disc brakes can be suspended at a minimum price of only 116,000 yuan, which is very competitive even for small businesses.

In addition, because the trailer is assembled from multiple modules, in the face of some customized needs of users, this production mode does not need to be re-scheduled. It only needs to "see the prescription" according to the needs and choose The corresponding parts under different modules can be assembled, which can greatly shorten the delivery cycle, and make money early by picking up the car early.

● High delivery efficiency, crossing the geographical fence

Compared with vehicle companies, trailer companies have the characteristics of "small, scattered, and chaotic". Personally, this is mainly due to the low profits of trailers but the high cost of long-distance transportation. Therefore, even large companies are very It is difficult to sell the car to far away areas.

But modular design will likely change this situation. Because of the bolted connection, when transporting the trailer, the module can be directly transported to the point of purchase and then assembled locally. This way, whether it is compared to "back-carriage transportation" or to the manufacturer to pick up the car, the efficiency will be higher and the cost will be higher. low.

● High after-sales efficiency, easier to change parts

In addition to the car purchase, the modular design is very conducive to after-sales maintenance. Nowadays, after a certain part of the trailer has a problem, welding is often used for "seam repair". However, after using the modular design, many parts can be purchased and replaced like the whole vehicle, which can greatly reduce the maintenance market and increase the vehicle attendance rate.

It is understood that the modular design of CIMC Vehicles and Anhui Kaile can achieve common parts between different models, that is to say, some parts of the warehouse car and the side curtain car are interchangeable; and With the advancement of modular design, perhaps parts of different manufacturers can be interchanged to a certain extent in the future, and future trailer maintenance will be more convenient.

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