Yes, even supercars must be assembled. . . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

When you think of McLaren Automotive, you probably think of supercars like the Artura Spider shown here:

It’s a hybrid that combines a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 and an axial flux electric motor to produce 690 hp.

Or thought of in action: 0 to 60 mph in three seconds.

A convertible.

When you think of McLaren Automotive, you probably don’t think of nut-runners and other assembly tools.

But at the McLaren HQ in Woking, Surrey, England there is the McLaren Production Centre, where the cars are built.

Of course, they’re built more like a fine mechanical watch than a run-of-the-road motorcar.

But they are still manufactured.

The McLaren announced that Atlas Copco is the company’s “Official Smart Tooling Supplier.”

The builder is deploying Atlas Copco battery-powered, digitally enabled nut-runners and other tools throughout its manufacturing operation. It is leveraging the Atlas Copco Smart Integrated Assembly tools and system for machine learning to improve production operations.

Matt Walton, Chief Manufacturing Officer, McLaren Automotive:

“In addition to our commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies, we remain dedicated to preserving the essence of our hand-built approach.”

Maybe its from the racing ethos where you get as many suppliers and even tangentially related companies to become sponsors.

Still, an “Official Smart Tooling Supplier” for a manufacturing operation certainly seems like a novel approach.

Wonder if the line workers have Atlas Copco patches on their shirts. . . .