Automotive supplier Autoneum says it is expanding its footprint and boosting production in China in response to high-volume orders from European, US and Chinese customers.

At a new plant in the city of Yantai in Shandong province, Autoneum's seventh in China, series and just-in-time production of inner dashes and carpet systems has begun. Some 250,000 Chinese-built vehicles will be supplied with components from Yantai each year.

Sustainable production is a particular area of focus at the plant, Winterthur, Switzerland-based Autoneum says in a news release. Production waste in the form of mixed fiber fleece and polyester will be recycled and reused in component manufacturing.

Autoneum says Yantai is one of its first plants designed on the basis of digital 3D simulations. Using Computer-Based Manufacturing Simulation (CBMS), machine setup, layout of production cells and even deployment of shopfloor workers were simulated during the planning phase, allowing the company to ideally design and utilize the plant, improve working conditions, raise production efficiency and realize associated cost savings.

Experience with the virtual-reality application in Yantai will flow into the CBMS-based design of other new plants within Autoneum's global production network, the supplier says.