Industry-leading Dongfeng factory builds finished car parts in minutes

Photo shows a 16,000-tonne ultra-large intelligent die-casting unit at the integrated die-casting workshop of Dongfeng Motor Corporation in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Guoji)

At the integrated die-casting workshop of Dongfeng Motor Corporation in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, molten aluminum is poured into molds before a 10,000-tonne press clamps shut in an instant. Just two minutes later, a large automotive structural component emerges, precisely formed.

A digital screen displays real-time equipment data at the integrated die-casting workshop of Dongfeng Motor Corporation in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jun)

Inside the workshop, two ultra-large die-casting machines operate side by side. With clamping forces of 10,000 and 16,000 tonnes, they form an industry-leading integrated die-casting production line that is also the largest of its kind in the world.

Qi Yelong, head of advanced materials and process technology at Dongfeng Motor Corporation's R&D Institute, said the integrated die-casting plant was completed and commissioned in 2025.

Located adjacent to the Voyah Yunfeng vehicle assembly plant, a facility under Dongfeng's premium EV brand, it follows a distinctive "factory-within-a-factory" collaborative production model.

Robotic arms at work at the integrated die-casting workshop of Dongfeng Motor Corporation in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Guoji)

"Integrated die-cast battery housing has already entered mass production for a new model launched on May 30. Hundreds of individual parts have been consolidated into a single component. What once took hours to manufacture can now be completed in just two to three minutes, boosting production efficiency by a factor of 100," Qi said.

Automated equipment runs at the integrated die-casting workshop of Dongfeng Motor Corporation in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Guoji)

Beyond efficiency gains, the technology delivers improvements in green manufacturing, vehicle performance, safety, durability and cost-effectiveness. Compared with conventional welded assemblies, integrated die-casting reduces the weight of a vehicle's rear floor by 20 percent and increases body torsional rigidity by more than 5 percent.

Photo shows the integrated die-casting workshop of Dongfeng Motor Corporation in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Guoji)

Photo shows a mid-speed collision test at 30 kmh evaluating repairability and cabin safety performance at the integrated die-casting workshop of Dongfeng Motor Corporation in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (People's Daily Online/Guo Tingting)

The plant's first phase has an annual production capacity of 200,000 lightweight automotive components. Plans are in place to add four more production lines, increasing total annual capacity to 600,000 units once the facility is fully operational.