Shaanxi Heavy Truck has exported more than 360,000 vehicles to date.

Shaanxi Automobile was one of the first Chinese heavy-duty truck manufacturers to expand overseas; in 1988, 13 ‘Yan’an’ off-road vehicles were exported, marking the first step on the company’s path to internationalisation. Following 36 years of effort, by the end of 2024, Shaanxi Automobile had exported a cumulative total of over 360,000 vehicles, and in the first quarter of this year, exports remained at over 14,000 units. Bearing the honour of ‘Made in China’, Shaanxi Automobile is accelerating its expansion into overseas markets, adding further glory to the development of China’s automotive industry.

Shaanxi Heavy Truck

To sell products, one must first produce them well. On 23 May, editors and journalists participating in the ‘2025 Silk Road Expo: National Mainstream Media Visit Shaanxi’ themed press tour visited Shaanxi Automobile to learn about the high-quality strides the company has made in smart manufacturing.

As AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) transporters precisely deliver vehicle frames along magnetic tracks, robotic arms trace graceful arcs through the air to install windscreens, and industrial robots assemble tyres with an accuracy of 0.01 millimetres—within this 100,000-square-metre super-factory, the roar of traditional heavy-duty truck manufacturing is being redefined by the pulse of digitalisation.

Shaanxi Heavy Truck

In the digital command centre of the integrated final assembly hall, electronic screens display real-time production data: a production cycle of 4.8 minutes and a peak capacity of 150 vehicles per shift per line—equivalent to one heavy-duty truck completing the assembly of its key components every second. On this smart production line stretching from east to west, five sub-assembly lines and two consolidation areas form a precision-operating ‘industrial neural network’, Chassis Assembly Line A is staging an astonishing ‘digital ballet’—36 lift-type AGV robots shuttle along pre-set trajectories, precisely delivering thousands of components to the complete vehicle; bolt-tightening robots control torque deviation to within ±3 per cent; and six-in-one filling machines dispense fluids with millilitre-level precision.

“This is a production line that thinks,” said Ji Xiang, Director of the Production Office at Shaanxi Automobile’s Final Assembly Plant, pointing to the SPS distribution system automatically sorting parts. Thirty-six AGV robots, acting like well-trained ‘material stewards’, autonomously plan the optimal routes via a vision recognition system, establishing a ‘zero-inventory’ smart logistics chain between the cab assembly area and the engine sub-assembly area. As soon as an AGV places a chassis at a workstation, its configuration details are instantly synchronised with equipment such as tightening machines and filling machines, enabling millisecond-level response times for process parameters.

Shaanxi Heavy Truck

At the smart tyre workstation, industrial robots are demonstrating ‘millimetre-level precision’. The vision-based positioning system captures installation points with an accuracy of 0.02 millimetres, whilst six-axis robotic arms complete tyre assembly at a rate of 2 metres per second. Combined with an automatic adhesive application inspection system, this has reduced a process that traditionally required three operators to a fully unmanned operation. Even more remarkable is its ‘dual-speed smart manufacturing’ capability: in standard production mode, 15 complete vehicles roll off the line per hour; when switched to ‘sprint mode’, production capacity can surge to 22 vehicles per hour, completely shattering the production ceiling imposed by the ‘mass labour’ approach.

As the reporter followed the AGV transport vehicle to the quality gate, a digital ‘health check’ was underway. A 3D vision system scans the vehicle body surface with an accuracy of 0.05 millimetres, whilst a lidar system performs nano-level airtightness testing, and 128 sensors simultaneously collect data from the electrical system. Through the ‘electronic ID’ traceability system, the tightening curve of every screw can be traced back to the specific operator, establishing a quality firewall covering the entire lifecycle.

Shaanxi Heavy Truck

Taking a seat in the X6000’s cab in the final assembly area, one finds the cabin to be spacious, completely overturning the stereotype of heavy goods vehicles having cramped cabins. The seat features air-cushioned suspension, multi-directional adjustment, and ventilation and heating functions. With a multifunction steering wheel, dual floating screens, smart voice control and intelligent driver-assistance systems, its specifications are on a par with some of the leading passenger cars.

“The value created here every minute is equivalent to three times that of a traditional factory,” explained Ji Xiang. This smart factory is redefining ‘Made in China’ in accordance with ‘Lighthouse Factory’ standards.