Dürr builds sustainable paint shop for CEER

CEER is the first automotive company founded in Saudi Arabia and the country’s first electric vehicle brand. A new vehicle production facility is being developed at the site in King Abdullah Economic City, designed from the outset for high levels of automation, energy efficiency and flexible production concepts.

For the painting process, CEER required a solution that meets stringent quality standards while supporting ambitious sustainability targets and allowing for easy integration of future vehicle models.

Objectives: Flexibility, efficiency and sustainability
The key objectives of the project are fully automated painting operations, reduced energy and paint consumption, and the ability to produce different vehicle variants and colour concepts without complex line modifications. At the same time, the paint shop is designed to minimise CO₂ emissions and incorporate a high degree of digitalisation.

Technical solution: Paint Shop of the Future
At CEER, Dürr is implementing its “Paint Shop of the Future” concept in full for the first time. The paint shop features a modular layout that replaces conventional, rigid paint lines with flexible booth concepts. Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) transport car bodies between process stations according to demand.

In the EcoProBooth stations, car bodies are painted on the inside and outside within a single booth. In addition, a dedicated booth enables fully automated two-tone painting without overspray. Application is carried out using EcoBell4 Pro rotary atomisers, which ensure consistently high paint quality.




Energy-efficient drying and exhaust air treatment
A major contribution to the sustainability of the paint shop comes from the use of the new EcoInCure dryer generation. The technology heats the car body from the inside, allowing massive structural components to be targeted more effectively. This is particularly advantageous for electric vehicles, which require reinforced body sections to protect battery systems. At the same time, overheating of thin-walled components is avoided.

Compared with conventional systems, the required heating time is reduced by up to 30%. Exhaust air is treated using an electrically operated regenerative thermal oxidation system (Oxi.X RV), in which oxidation reactions take place entirely within the heat exchanger material. The absence of open flames eliminates unwanted combustion by-products.

Overspray-free two-tone painting
For two-tone paint applications, the overspray-free EcoPaintJet Pro system is used. This enables car bodies to be painted with two contrasting colours in a single process. Eliminating masking films and adhesive tapes reduces paint consumption and prevents plastic waste. The system can also be adapted for complex patterns such as lettering or logos.

Digitalisation and system control
The entire paint shop is controlled by digital solutions from the DXQ product family. The DXQcontrol manufacturing operations management system coordinates planning, execution and monitoring of production processes. DXQanalyze provides system- and usage-specific data, supporting condition monitoring as well as analysis of correlations between process parameters and paint quality.

AGVs of the EcoProFleet type are controlled by the DXQlogistics.control software, which dynamically manages material flow based on station availability and utilisation.




Project status and outlook
The order for the paint shop was awarded in 2023, and the project is currently in the installation phase. Start of production at the CEER site is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026.

Conclusion
With the new paint shop, CEER is receiving a highly automated and energy-efficient solution that is designed to meet future requirements in electric vehicle manufacturing. The project demonstrates how modular plant concepts, digital control systems and sustainable process technologies can be combined to enhance production reliability, quality and environmental performance in automotive painting.

www.durr.com