– Automation in Existing Facilities Is the True Test: How ForwardX Deployed 484 AMRs in a Running Automaker Factory Without Production Breaks
Chery Dalian in figures:
- 484 AMR deployed throughout the plant
- ~1000 vehicles produced daily
- 127 automated material categories
- Covered body shops and final assembly
- Maintained production throughout deployment
/PRNewswire/ — Most car factories are not designed for automation, but for production.
More than a year after its implementation, ForwardX’s AMR system continues to expand at Chery Automobile’s Dalian manufacturing plant without disrupting production. Currently, this project is among the largest AMR implementations in existing facilities in the automotive industry.
This reality makes automation in existing facilities one of the biggest challenges in the sector. Unlike new facilities, existing factories must be modernized while maintaining production. Automation must fit into legacy systems, fixed layouts, and active operations, rather than being built into the plant design from the beginning.
With a fleet of 484 AMRs, deployment continues to expand while production remains fully operational, allowing automation to expand without major rebuilds or factory shutdowns.
Chery’s Dalian plant produces approximately 1,000 vehicles per day, making production continuity a critical operational requirement. In their welding and final assembly shops, AMRs support a wide range of intralogistics processes, including production line delivery, SPS carriage transportation, propulsion system delivery and empty container return.
In the body shop, 204 AMRs currently manage the delivery of 32 material categories, covering more than 80% of demand. In final assembly, 280 AMRs manage the transportation of 95 material categories, covering almost 90% of the assembly line requirements.
The success of modernizing existing facilities depends on much more than the autonomy of the vehicles.
Existing factories present a number of unique challenges: limited space next to the production line, mixed traffic including workers and forklifts, outdated IT infrastructure, changing production requirements, and minimal deployment windows. The challenge is to transform an existing logistics system without interrupting production. While many automation projects demonstrate success in the pilot phase, deploying to hundreds of robots in active automotive production environments represents an entirely different challenge.
To address these challenges, ForwardX combined vision-based autonomy, fleet orchestration, manufacturing integration, and phased deployment strategies. Rather than requiring major facility changes, the deployment was integrated into existing production and logistics workflows.
The system operates alongside existing workers, conveyors, robotic equipment and material handling assets. Through phased deployment and continuous optimization, automation was progressively introduced while maintaining production stability.
“The challenge is to transform a factory into operation while protecting production,” said Nicolas Chee, founder and CEO of ForwardX Robotics. “Automating existing facilities requires much more than robotics. It requires integration, orchestration and a deep understanding of manufacturing operations.”
As original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier 1 suppliers continue to modernize their existing facilities, the transformation of existing facilities is becoming a key objective across the automotive industry.
For most manufacturers, future automation investments will be implemented in existing factories, rather than new ones.
New construction projects prove that robots can work.
Modernization projects at existing facilities demonstrate that automation can be scaled in real manufacturing environments.
Chery Dalian shows what this transformation looks like in practice.
Do you want to know more?
Download Chery Dalian white paper on automation in existing facilities here:https://www.forwardx.com/
Join us at Automate 2026, at booth #1025, to discover the future of automotive logistics.