• The company has built a new 3,000 m2 facility with the aim of unifying all the processes prior to the manufacture of a future vehicle
• The new space includes virtual reality installations and an area dedicated to 3D printing for the design of prototypes and pre-series models
• The carmaker continues to drive innovation and its transformation process towards Industry 4.0
• SEAT’s PDC is the only automotive prototype development centre in Spain

Martorell, 20/08/2020. In its commitment to constant innovation, SEAT has recently transformed its Prototype Development Centre (PDC) located in the heart of the SEAT plant in Martorell. The company has completed a new 3,000 m2 building in Workshop 3, unifying all processes and activities prior to mass production of a new model in a single area. This space has virtual reality applications in the new machining facilities and a large area for additive manufacturing projects in the new 3D Printing Lab. It is worth highlighting the cutting-edge printers used to print state-of-the-art parts for the development of prototypes and pre-series models, with a view to future launches.

The new building also includes the Design for Manufacturing room, where different areas of the company, such as R&D, quality, processes and manufacturing work together with the more than 250 professionals of the Prototype Development Centre to analyse and improve products in their early stages of conceptualisation.  This collaboration is key to reducing and improving the launch times of future cars and boosting efficiency in processes and resource management. To this end, new technologies such as virtual reality are implemented, simulating mass production processes, 3D printing and other 4.0 Industry technologies.

“The transformation of our Prototype Development Centre enables us to work with total efficiency in the development and launch of new models” said Anabel Andión, head of SEAT’s PDC. “We’ve been working with virtual reality and 3D printing for more than thirteen years. With these new facilities and the unification of the PDC, we intend to invest more than ever in the development of digital and electronic solutions adapted to the car of tomorrow.”

Forward-looking high-performance centre

Since its inauguration in 2007, the PDC has become the link between the company’s R&D and production departments; a place where virtuality becomes reality. Throughout its thirteen years of history, the space has developed a total of 13 concept cars, the IBE (2010), the Cupster (2014), the Leon Cross Sport (2015) or the CUPRA Ateca (2018), among others. Likewise, and to date, it has worked with 5,235 pre-series models, 2,472 test prototypes and 224 technical models.

Thanks to its recent transformation, whose investment is included in the 5 billion euro invesment plan recently announced by the company, the PDC now has modern facilities covering 18,000 square metres in the centre of the Martorell plant where 250 engineers and specialised technicians are already working on the development of new models, with special attention to the field of electrification, one of the main pillars of the company.

With this new centre focusing on virtual reality, additive manufacturing and 3D printing, SEAT confirms its leadership as a Smart Factory. It also reaffirms its commitment to innovation and constant transformation towards Industry 4.0.