Inside BYD’s Massive Zhengzhou Plant: ‘One Car a Minute’
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
BYD’s Zhengzhou plant in Henan province is China’s largest single factory, covering 10.7 km² and employing about 60,000 people. Opened in 2023, the complex produces EV components, batteries and new materials, claiming outputs of one electric vehicle per minute and one battery every three seconds. The stamping line rapidly forms thin steel sheets into parts (1 minutes yields 11 pieces) while workers perform sanding and defect checks. The welding area uses around 2,455 robot arms—claimed to be 98% automated—but staff still fit parts into jigs and sometimes weld manually. On assembly lines (about 3,000 workers per line), teams install batteries, motors and electronics; some export models have right-hand drive (for export markets). Final inspection combines AI vision checks with 5–6 human visual inspectors. The plant’s scale and speed are striking, though human labor remains essential in many steps despite the “smart factory” image.
