Modular Paint Shop Automation for Electric Vehicle Production

Dürr and CEER are jointly implementing a fully automated paint shop for electric vehicle bodies, combining modular automation, advanced application technology, and digitally managed material flow for automotive manufacturing.

Context of the Cooperation
CEER is establishing its first vehicle manufacturing complex in Saudi Arabia to produce battery electric vehicles for regional markets. Paint shops represent one of the most energy- and material-intensive stages in automotive production, requiring high process stability and flexibility to manage multiple body variants.

Dürr was selected to design and install the paint shop due to its system-level integration capabilities across application technology, intralogistics, thermal processes, and manufacturing software. The cooperation addresses the challenge of combining scalable production capacity with reduced energy consumption and high paint quality for EV-specific body structures.

Technical Solution and Responsibilities
Dürr is responsible for the overall paint shop design, equipment supply, software integration, and commissioning. The installation follows Dürr’s “Paint Shop of the Future” concept, which replaces rigid conveyor-based lines with modular paint boxes and automated guided vehicles (AGVs).

Car bodies are transported by EcoProFleet AGVs between individual EcoProBooth paint boxes. Interior and exterior painting are performed within a single booth using EcoBell4 Pro rotary atomizers, allowing demand-driven routing rather than fixed cycle times. A dedicated booth enables fully automated two-tone painting without overspray.

Thermal processing is handled by EcoInCure ovens, which heat vehicle bodies from the inside. This approach improves heat transfer to structurally reinforced EV body sections, such as battery-protective rocker panels, while reducing total drying time by up to 30 percent compared to conventional convection systems.

Deployment and Digital Integration
The facility is being installed at CEER’s manufacturing complex in King Abdullah Economic City, with production scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. Existing and future model variants can be integrated without restructuring the paint line due to the modular layout.

AGV traffic and material flow are managed by DXQlogistics.control software, which dynamically allocates routes based on workstation availability and utilization. Manufacturing operations are coordinated through the DXQcontrol MOM platform, built on a microservices architecture to support scalable planning, execution, and monitoring.

Applications and Operational Impact
The paint shop is designed for electric passenger vehicle production with high model diversity. Overspray-free two-tone application using EcoPaintJet Pro reduces paint consumption and eliminates masking materials, improving material efficiency and reducing waste streams.

Exhaust air treatment is performed using an electrically operated regenerative thermal oxidation system, enabling solvent removal without open-flame combustion. Combined with reduced oven dwell times, the system lowers overall energy demand and associated CO₂ emissions through defined process efficiencies rather than offset mechanisms.

Expected Results
By integrating modular automation, digital manufacturing control, and EV-specific thermal processes, the cooperation enables CEER to scale production volumes while maintaining consistent paint quality, predictable energy use, and adaptable manufacturing capacity.

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