Forvia advances automated packaging and load building in digital supply chain push
Forvia Interiors is accelerating the digital transformation of its packaging and logistics processes as part of a wider push to build a more transparent, automated and predictable global supply chain.
ALSC DS Europe 2025
Forvia’s products, including door panels,
instrument panels and centre consoles, rely on highly synchronised just-in-time
flows that are increasingly volatile as OEM schedules fluctuate. Speaking at
Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain Digital Strategies Europe 2025, Zvonimir
Zaja, head of global supply chain and logistics for Forvia Interiors, said the
interiors division is deploying data-driven automation across its plants, from
injection moulding to truck loading to cut inventories, improve load
utilisation and strengthen resilience.
Automation
reshapes packaging at lighthouse Spain plant
Zaja highlighted the company’s digital ‘lighthouse’
plant in Tarazona, northern Spain, which produces door and instrument panels
for a major OEM. There, Forvia has digitalised the full injection moulding
process across 30 machines, recording temperatures and other parameters and
feeding the data directly to supervisors via dashboards.
One of the most significant steps for packaging
logistics at the company is the introduction of an automated “auto-packaging”
process. “This is one door panel that is being now used in the machine where
we're doing so-called auto packaging,” Zaja said. “We are producing and putting
these parts directly into the shelf”. Parts move straight from injection to
ready-to-ship packaging locations without manual handling, reducing labour
needs and the risk of mispacking or damage.
This packaging activity is integrated into an
end-to-end automated material flow driven by AGVs. “This is one part of the end-to-end
automation. We have used and implemented this AGV coming from the injection
moulding into our so-called second level shop stock. It is going automatically
line feeding to the assembly line or even going further,” Zaja said. The AGV
system connects injection, packaging locations and assembly lines through a
multi-level internal layout designed for high-mix, high-volume component flows.
Load
building and forklift-free handling
Forvia is also piloting forklift-free logistics and
automated load building to optimise outbound flows. At Carazona, the team has
tested unmanned forklifts for internal deliveries and is now validating
automated truck loading and virtual load-building tools. “We’re measuring data and
using it to understand some parameters and patterns. This is one part of our
delivery where we have tested forklift without man. This is the truck loader
load building, we have a truck that we can load physically and in the system to
really understand what the truck utilisation rate is to optimise costs,” he
added.
The enhanced load-building system uses MRP inputs
and transport management data to generate optimised loading patterns that make
fuller use of trailer space, helping reduce transport costs and CO₂ emissions.
This capability is being extended globally as Forvia looks to standardise
packaging formats and integrate physical and digital load verification.
Embedding
resilience in packaging and logistics
Forvia’s long-term aim is to embed risk awareness
and predictive capabilities directly into its packaging, warehousing and
transport decisions. The company is developing new data-focused roles,
including digital twin analysts and data engineers, to build and maintain the
required models and ontologies. Change management remains essential, with teams
conducting parallel testing to build trust in AI-supported recommendations.
Packaging sits at the centre of this
transformation. Automated packing, forklift-free handling and more intelligent
load building serve not only to improve efficiency but also to increase
resilience in a supply chain where short-notice changes can ripple through
operations. With a strong business case emerging from early pilots, Forvia is
now sizing the next phase of network-wide deployment.
