Shanghai, Mar 27, 2026
Comau showcased its latest body-in-white (BIW) and final assembly automation solutions at the 12th Automotive Advanced Manufacturing Technology Summit, held in Guangzhou from March 25–27. The company also delivered a keynote address to more than 1,800 industry professionals.
At the summit, Comau presented its approach to next-generation automotive manufacturing, focusing on how flexible, modular, and highly integrated automation architectures can help manufacturers address increasing product complexity, multi-model production, and rapidly evolving industry requirements.
Speaking at the main forum, Steve Zhu, Head of Sales for Body Assembly APAC at Comau, highlighted a fundamental industry shift: as new energy vehicle adoption accelerates and platform-based architectures become more widespread, manufacturers are moving beyond isolated process optimization toward integrated, cross-process coordination and system-level performance.
Against this backdrop, Comau is evolving its role from equipment and line provider to system-level enabler. Building on more than 50 years of automotive automation experience, the company is extending its expertise in cycle time management, system integration, and production reliability from body welding into downstream processes, including final assembly. This approach allows OEMs to better align production with demand while maintaining a balanced trade-off between cycle time, cost efficiency, and manufacturing flexibility in multi-model, multi-variant environments.
A key aspect of this strategy is the transfer of proven methodologies from welding lines into final assembly transfer and critical assembly processes. By applying consistent system logic across different production stages, Comau helps stabilize mixed-model production flows and improve overall line performance. Leveraging its combined strengths in body and powertrain assembly, together with advanced robotics and automation technologies, the company continues to expand automation coverage in final assembly, reducing manual dependency while enhancing throughput, consistency, and system stability.
In a dedicated Body Assembly session, Xiaowei Tao, Global Solutions Development Manager at Comau APAC, introduced Smart Bodyshop, the company’s intelligent modular approach to flexible BIW manufacturing. Designed as a scalable and reconfigurable system architecture, Smart Bodyshop integrates transfer, positioning, and framing processes within a unified technical framework, enabling manufacturers to manage mixed-model production with greater efficiency and control.
Within this broader architecture, several key building blocks were highlighted. These include the Framer 4.0, an upgraded framing system capable of supporting up to six vehicle models on a single line and compatible with multiple transfer solutions such as AGVs, shuttles, and positioning trolleys. Additional innovations include a high-speed power roller bed with carried fixtures, designed to optimize line layout and reduce cycle time while maintaining positioning accuracy, and the APC 2.0 accumulating pallet conveyor, a standardized modular system that enhances flexibility and coordination efficiency across applications.
Together, these technologies represent key building blocks within Comau’s broader Smart Bodyshop portfolio, integrating flexible logistics, high-speed transfer, high-density welding, and modular standardization to support scalable, future-ready BIW manufacturing.
At the summit, Comau also presented a comprehensive portfolio of automation solutions covering both new energy and conventional vehicle production. Looking ahead, the company remains committed to advancing critical manufacturing processes through continuous innovation, supporting customers with increasingly efficient, scalable, and competitive production solutions.
