Aston Martin's Gaydon Production Plant Uses More Humans Than Robots

Aston Martin's current production process might not be as fast as other car brands. Still, it aligns with the marque's current direction of offering ultra-luxury vehicles inlimited production quantities. The British carmaker shared that approximately 200 man-hours are involved in building each Aston Martin.

The cars are made in a series of stations where technicians work on the cars. This approach might be slower, but Aston Martin believes it is the right way to ensure top-notch vehicle craftsmanship. Humans apply the first paint coating on the chassis, a step that's usually done by robots in today's manufacturing assembly. With Aston Martin, robots take over only when applying the second layer of paint.

Aston Martin's Gaydon plant also looks less technologically advanced than the Mercedes-BenzFactory 56. But Aston Martin's facility does come with an overhead conveyor and an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) system. The AGV transfers the cars into different workstations along the assembly process. This allows more efficient chassis transport, a system that can also be seen in other car manufacturing facilities, such as theToyota GR factory in Japan.

The latter part of the video also shows Aston Martin's production process at the carmaker's St. Aghan plant. It employs the same strategy of featuring more humans than robots regarding vehicle production.

While it's slower and possibly even more costly, using humans ensures that these sports cars are made with soul. And it could be slower and pricier still, as evidenced bythe latest Bugatti Sur Mesure commission, which saw just one element of its unique paint take over 400 hours to complete.