Maxi-production plant Mini-wheelbarrows

Small, nimble, high-quality, krasiiiivye! Report from the Oxford plant ZhZhurnalista "Another»

Capital Oxfordshire is known not only by the presence in the city of the oldest university in the English-speaking world. There also collect cars throughout its history connected with the history of Great Britain. 4,500 workers produce every week on roads all over the world 3500 legendary cars badged MINI. Here in Oxford, it is one of the most modern and technically advanced car plants in the world in which the BMW Group for nine years, has invested about 380 million. Pounds. Here we, a group of journalists from different countries who came to the festival MINI United, brought on a tour to show how to hatch these cars.

24 photos: © drugoi





Now, in an area of ​​40,000 square meters of assembly of car bodies involved 230 industrial robots.
Precision assembly of body parts such robots - 0.05 mm.



The quality of build is following a special team. Detected deficiencies corrected here, next to the assembly site.
Master one of the bodies brought to their workplace and begins to deal with it.



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Unfortunately, we did not have time to visit The Paintshop -
body painting shop, occupying, as they say, an area equal to 12 football fields.
Instead, we were immediately taken to the assembly line. At this stage the body is prepared for paint work, hanging on him all the necessary parts.
With such a device, for example, put on a body model MINI Clubman rear door. The MINI depending on the configuration consists of approximately 2,500 foreign and domestic eelementov.



I liked the working environment at the plant. The people working there cheerful, friendly, the camera does not turn away, he likes to joke.
In such circumstances, to shoot - a pleasure. Sorry, I did not have much time.



Well, the rear doors on Klabmene in place. This "family" five-seat model the plant began to produce in 2007
It is longer than the classical MINI stand at 80 mm.



This is the beginning of the final assembly of the car: colored body, moving slowly in the shop, cluttered with details, turning into a true MINI.



We came when the factory finish work second shift and started a third, night. She has worked and is going to his home.



During a shift change conveyor stops. Masters simply replace each other.
Who came to work with a partner takes tool belt while he was still working.



Changed and new shift started work.



Assembling extremely mechanized, but there are operations that are carried out manually, mainly women.



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Brought windshields.



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Here are preparing the engine to the transmission and front axle to be mounted inside the body.



I have not even had time to notice the engine was on its place. Moreover, everything is calm, somehow, even with lazy, leisurely.



There MINI gets its wheels.



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It is said that two absolutely identical MINI on the line is not seen. Each car hanging paper with barcodes and when another car pulls up to the new site, the master reads the bar code scanner and puts it on the body that need this particular car.



Final closer. The car itself is already on wheels, assembly is nearing its end.



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Finally, in the new car gets its first driver.
Starter dryly click a few times and is distributed under the hood low sound of the engine. The machine was born.



Let's go!



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