57 Artisans' Touch... This Truck Like a Large Passenger Car

Visiting Tata Daewoo Thessen Factory
57 Veterans Assemble Without Conveyor Belts
Test Drive Shows Improved Braking Performance and High-Speed Stability

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] “Even if there is no scene of robots moving, it is made by artisans.”

On the 3rd, at the Tata Daewoo factory in Gunsan, Jeonbuk. This is where the facelift model of the compact truck ‘The Sen’, which is about to be released, is produced. As soon as you enter the entrance, your eyes are drawn to the second floor. ‘The Sen Vision is our future. For overwhelming victory!’ In front of it, a straight yellow line and gray floor were spread out. The already completed frames moved along the yellow machines hanging from the ceiling.

Photo by Oh Gyumin

There was no conveyor belt like those seen in movies. There were no robots needed for automated production. Instead, there were people on the line. I made eye contact with those working with electric drills. They soon smiled warmly and said, “Welcome.” You could feel the pride of ‘I am making this vehicle.’ A production instruction sheet mixed with numbers and alphabets was attached to the chassis. They headed straight to the parts. Just by looking at the code, they instantly knew which parts were needed for the vehicle.

The completed vehicle passed through a door about 10 meters long and headed outside. This was to conduct safety regulation tests such as checking the operation of the ABS system. Then it entered a place like a car wash. Powerful ‘cold water’ from a hose was poured onto the vehicle. This was a water tightness test (to determine if water seeps into the vehicle). If it endured the 3-minute shower, the vehicle immediately came out into the sunlight.

[Photo by Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle]

On the 2nd, Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicles released a facelift model of the compact truck ‘The Sen’. The secret of The Sen, which refined the interior to consider commercial vehicle drivers, was in the process. Instead of robots, it was touched by human hands. When driving the vehicle, the driving stability stood out.

This LD plant is about 1,000 pyeong (approx. 3,306 square meters) in size and produces 10 to 12 vehicles per day. On that day as well, through the TV hanging from the ceiling, you could see the day’s target number, production number, and remaining number.

[Photo by Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle]

The Sen is made by human hands, not robots. Before its launch in 2020, 57 selected veteran employees work here. A Tata Daewoo official explained, “It is a factory made by artisans.” There is no conveyor belt either. This is to easily change the process in preparation for future electric vehicle production. Also, there is a disadvantage that when a problem occurs in the process, the entire line must stop.

The ZF 8-speed automatic transmission also caught the eye. It was installed in The Sen for the first time in the compact truck industry. This not only enhances the driver’s driving convenience but also contributes to improving production speed. An official said, “Originally, it takes a long time to develop and switch to an automatic transmission during the vehicle manufacturing process,” adding, “(By introducing this transmission) the final mass production process, which usually takes a year, was reduced to 3 to 4 months.”

After going through this process, The Sen has driving stability. After running on the test road prepared inside the factory, the braking response speed was faster than other trucks. Tata Daewoo explained that this is because it is equipped with a full air brake instead of a hydraulic brake. It was equipped with an air suspension seat, so although not as smooth as a passenger car at high speed, it had less shaking.

[Photo by Tata Daewoo Commercial Vehicle]