AvtoVAZ
AvtoVAZ is a Russian auto plant, one of the largest in Europe, which manufactures up to 800,000 automobiles and automobile kits yearly. This huge manufacturer with 67,000 employees was “born” on the 20th of July 1966, when the Soviet government issued a decree about building a new auto plant in Togliatti.
It was erected incredibly fast, and the first car, a legendary VAZ-2101, was manufactured here 3 years later in 1969. This car has become the symbol of the brand. Nowadays there are 6 basic car series: LADA 4х4, LADA SAMARA, LADA PRIORA, LADA GRANTA, LADA KALINA and LADA LARGUS. At the end of 2012 the factory began manufacturing the Nissan Almera as well as 2 Renault models. AvtoVAZ has organized a tour for bloggers from Tolgiatti, and here is a photo-review.
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2. The tour starts at the 24th level of the management's building where there is a magnificent view of the factory.
3. The factory is huge with an area greater than 600 hectares. The factory's buildings occupy a combined area of 4,000,000 square meters (13123359.58 square feet). Its workshops have thousands of pieces of equipment; AvtoVAZ's conveyor lines are 300 kilometers (186.411 miles) long.
4. Those cars belong to the factory workers.
5. You may read a story of the factory's erection in this (<a href="http://chronograph.livejournal.com/106885.html" target="_blank">rewiew.</a>)
6. Thermoelectric plant of AvtoVAZ.
7. The area for cars for sale is half-filled.
8. Those cars are sold-out very quickly.
9. A test-drive track.
10. There is an Avtozavodsky district of Togliatti in the distance.
11. Yuzhnoe highway.
12. A chapel and a piece of Scientific and Technical Centre.
13. A fragmentof the Technical Museum.
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15. Then everybody went to a workshop to see with their own eyes how those cars are made. This is a workshop with press machines in it.
16. This is a place where plain steel sheets turn into auto body parts. Those workshops are huge and it is easy to get lost here.
17. On the 14th of July 2010 a modern Komatsu Japanese press machine line was launched at the plant. It produces 11,300 details daily. It takes 10-12 minutes to replace its stamps instead of 4-5 hours.
18. A highspeed automatic line Komatsu has 5 stamps for manufacturing panels: a roof, doors, a cowl, a luggage carrier, wings and sides.
19. The press stamps roofs, and the worker checks its quality.
20. Details are transported to the storage.
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22. The next stop is the car body assembly department.
23. "Robogarden" is a non-official nickname of the welding workshop.
24. This is the place where the most expensive part of the future car, its body, is constructed of dozens of parts.
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26. Details are "waiting" for installation.
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28. There are 300 welding robots in the workshop.
29. The future body is recognizable.
30. Robots go on working.
31. Welding lines equipment is based on mathematical models of the car body. It helps to improve the quality of AvtoVAZ car's bodies.
32. The welding workshop is working under license from KUKA (Germany). Robots of 2 types are set here: transporters and welders.
33. Randomly chosen bodies are tested at the end of each shift with CMM (control measuring machine).
34. Manual welding in the workshop.
35. The B0 line, an alliance of AvtoVAZ and Renault-Nissan. It may produce up to 350,000 cars a year.
36. Lada-Largus cars are manufactured at the line today. It costs 350,000-450,000 Rubles (about 6,700-8,600 Dollars USA).
37. The plant makes about 100 of Lada-Largus daily, but the line is able to produce more cars.
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40. Mufflers for Lada-Largus.
41. Chassis.
42. Its cabin is large enough for a big family.
43. A closer-look at the new model.
44. The conveyor manufactures the Lada-Samara model.
45. The equipment is not modern, but it will be renewed.
46. The prosess of installation of windows.
47. Two types of rare side windows. The first one is glued, the second may be opened.
48. The installation of bumpers.
49. Headlights installation.
50. Wheels are bolted on.
51. The car is almost ready, and it is moved to the quality inspection station.
52. The Lada-Largus, the front view.
53. The Lada-Largus, the rare view.
54. The Lada-Largus, a side view.
55. An inspection station.
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57. The Lada-Kalina and the Lada-Priora workshops.
58. Some more views.
59. The plant's newspaper Volzhsky Avtostroitel at the table.
60. The Lada-Kalina's workshop.
61. A scoreboard with information for workers.
62. A lot of young people work here.
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65. A modern version of the Lada-Kalina, the Lada-Kalina2 was launched in 2013.
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70. Cars are filled with gas, oil, etc.
71. Drivers transport cars to inspection stations.
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73. The closing stage.
74. The final control.
![The final control.](https://101ru.com/storage/post/images/15/074.jpg" width="600" />)
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76. The car is ready to go!
77. Some pictures of an area next to the plant's management building. The monument of Polyakov, the first director of the AvtoVAZ.
78. Management buildings.
