When InfiMotion's engineering team was tasked with scaling production of the L402 electric drive unit for Geely's EX5, the challenge was not simply one of capacity. The world's first 12-in-1 EDU, integrating motor, gearbox, inverter and nine other functions into a single assembly, demanded both precision and pace. The customer wanted high volume immediately after launch. Time, as Zhang Yichao, senior manager at InfiMotion's Wuxi factory, recalls, became the critical constraint.

"The biggest challenge we faced was how to scientifically increase the production pace while ensuring product quality, given the requirement for the OEM to achieve high volume right after its launch during the initial ramp-up phase," Zhang explains. It is a problem that speaks to a broader transformation in automotive manufacturing, where the traditional luxury of extended pilot phases and gradual volume increases has been compressed by market pressures and technological acceleration.

The solution InfiMotion implemented at Wuxi offers a window into how China's electric vehicle supply chain is approaching the manufacturing of highly integrated powertrains. Rather than relying solely on incremental automation, the facility has adopted what Zhang describes as "fully digital management" underpinned by a self-developed Manufacturing Execution System (MES) that provides real-time production monitoring and complete process traceability.

Integration as the new complexity

The L402 represents a significant departure from traditional electric drive architectures. By consolidating 12 separate functions into a single unit, InfiMotion has created a product that simplifies vehicle integration, but incidentally complicates manufacturing coordination. Each of those functions must be validated individually and as part of the integrated whole, requiring a production workflow that can handle both component-level precision and system-level verification.

"The factory adopts fully digital management. We have a self-developed MES system that can monitor the production status in real time and ensure full traceability throughout the process," Zhang notes. This is not merely a question of tracking parts through an assembly line. The system incorporates multiple error-proofing procedures, with verification steps embedded at critical junctures.

In the motor gear reducer assembly process, for instance, the system validates results from the two preceding sub-assembly steps. If any anomaly is detected, progression to the next stage is automatically blocked.

"The system automatically checks the data storage status of the previous assembly results here, ensuring that no parts are missing or incorrectly installed, and guaranteeing data traceability," Zhang adds. This approach minimises the risk of defects propagating through the production line, a particular concern when dealing with highly integrated assemblies where a single fault can compromise multiple functions.

Automation where it matters most

InfiMotion's focus on automation has been selective rather than universal. The company has concentrated its efforts on the most technically demanding and time-consuming processes, particularly in stator and rotor production. The rotor line operates at over 95 per cent automation, whilst the stator line, which produces components every 64 seconds, has automated the notoriously difficult hairpin motor winding process.

"Mass production of flat-wire stators is the most difficult part in the manufacturing of electric drive products. The difficulty of hairpin motor mainly lies in the process where copper wire is transformed from a coil of raw material into a hairpin shape. This process is fully automated by us, and the production rhythm is very fast. A stator is produced every 64 seconds, and a rotor is also produced every 96 seconds," Zhang explains.

This focus on hairpin winding automation reflects a broader industry trend. In early 2025, Jaguar Land Rover installed six new hairpin winding machines at its Wolverhampton plant - also known as the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre (EPMC) - each capable of producing one copper hairpin every 2.5 seconds - amounting to over 40 million per year. As Satyender Bidesi, JLR's Manufacturing Engineering Manager, notes, hairpin windings allow for tighter, more densely packed stators that enhance energy transfer and improve heat dissipation, delivering up to 25% more efficiency. The OEM notes the consistency achieved through this robotic winding process which ensures each stator meets tight tolerances and reduces variability in motor performance, allowing manufacturers to scale EV motor production without compromising quality.

For InfiMotion, the speed matters, but, Yichao notes, not in isolation. These cycle times must be maintained whilst ensuring that each component meets exacting tolerances. The hairpin winding process, in particular, requires precise control over wire bending and insertion to achieve the necessary electrical performance and mechanical integrity. Automating this step removes both variability and bottlenecks, allowing the facility to scale production without proportionally increasing quality risks.

The factory also employs Automated Guided Vehicles to move materials between production cells, reducing manual handling and improving flow efficiency. Combined with internationally leading equipment across the production lines, these systems have created a manufacturing environment where throughput can be increased without wholesale changes to the underlying infrastructure.

Managing the supply chain at speed

Achieving high production volumes quickly depends not only on internal capabilities but on the performance of upstream suppliers. InfiMotion's approach to supply chain management has been interventionist where necessary. For bottleneck suppliers, the company provides on-site support, working to improve equipment utilisation rates and first-time pass rates. The aim is to eliminate constraints before they disrupt the primary assembly line.

"In terms of process solutions, our production team, based on actual site conditions, reasonably splits local bottleneck stations without stopping the entire production line, reducing the theoretical cycle time by more than 10 seconds," Zhang says. Small improvements in cycle time compound across high-volume production. A 10-second reduction, when multiplied across thousands of units per month, translates into significant capacity gains without capital investment in additional lines.

Equipment maintenance has also been intensified. By increasing inspection frequency and improving spare parts inventory, InfiMotion reduced abnormal downtime by over 80 per cent within one month, with line stoppage duration controlled within 2 per cent. These are not dramatic technological leaps but disciplined operational improvements that create cumulative advantages in a high-volume environment.

Flexibility and the multi-platform challenge

InfiMotion's Wuxi facility is not a single-product factory. It currently operates over 30 production lines, with plans to add more than 20 additional lines next year. These lines support different platforms, serving customers including Geely, Polestar, Lotus and Jaguar Land Rover. Managing this diversity whilst maintaining efficiency requires production systems capable of rapid changeovers.

"On the same production line, we can also achieve quick model change according to changes in customer orders. The shortest model change time can be controlled within 10 minutes," Zhang notes. This flexibility is enabled by the digital infrastructure that governs production. The Manufacturing Execution System, combined with a Logistics Execution System for production planning and a Quality Management Execution System for quality oversight, allows the facility to reconfigure rapidly without lengthy manual adjustments.

This level of production flexibility had become a clear competitive imperative in 2025, and will only continue to grow though 2026. At Honda's newly upgraded Ohio operations, the EV Hub represents the OEM's template for flexible production of ICE, hybrid and electric vehicles on a single line. The facility can accommodate multiple vehicle types through what Honda calls its "Triple S" approach: Simple Design, Simple Manufacturing, and Simple Logistics. By starting with a common "monument structure," Honda ensures components can be consistently used across different models, enabling a stable mainline manufacturing process that doesn't require frequent retooling.

Similarly, Magna's Graz facility employs what it terms "Modular Flex Framing," allowing up to six different body variants to pass through a single framing station with model-specific adapters rotating automatically into position. The entire changeover completes in the time it takes the conveyor to advance. As noted at the AMNA 2025 conference, manufacturers are increasingly using virtual commissioning and emulation to shorten changeover times, with some systems now achieving model changes within a single shift.

Yichao notes that the Wuxi factory also employs Product Lifecycle Management software for change management and self-learning testing software for end-of-line test benches. This suite of digital tools creates an environment where production flexibility is not achieved through manual intervention but through system reconfiguration. The result is a facility that can respond to shifting customer demands without sacrificing utilisation rates.

Capacity expansion as demand rises

Current annual production capacity for the L402 stands at 360,000 units. To accommodate growing demand from Geely and potentially other customers, InfiMotion has begun construction of a third-phase factory at the Wuxi site. The structure was topped out last month and is expected to begin series production in the first quarter of next year. This expansion follows a pattern common among China’s electric vehicle suppliers, where capacity is added in anticipation of demand rather than in response to sustained orders.

The speed of this expansion reflects a broader confidence in the trajectory of electric vehicle adoption in China and export markets. InfiMotion, founded only in 2021, has grown to more than 6,000 employees and operates five factories and R&D centres in China and Gothenburg, Sweden. The company's recent launch of the L700 PMSM, developed in collaboration with a global premium electric vehicle manufacturer for an 800-volt architecture, demonstrates its ambition to serve both high-volume and high-performance segments.

"In just a few years, we've established ourselves as one of the leading suppliers of Electric Drive Units. The new product shows that we are able to develop an advanced new product in 12-18 months and produce it in a cost-efficient manner, and it demonstrates our continued commitment to innovation and excellence," says Joakim Arnell, R&D director at InfiMotion.

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The structural advantages of Chinese EV manufacturing

When asked why Chinese automotive factories achieve higher output and speed compared to Western counterparts, Zhang offers a perspective rooted in infrastructure, proximity and culture. The efficiency, he suggests, stems from deeply integrated supply chains where component suppliers are located extremely close to assembly plants, minimising logistics delays and costs. Many facilities are greenfield sites, built from the ground up with advanced automation and Internet of Things integration, avoiding the constraints of legacy infrastructure.

"Chinese automotive factories achieve exceptional output and speed through a distinct combination of strategic and operational advantages," Zhang explains. "Our efficiency stems from deeply integrated supply chains, with component suppliers located extremely close to assembly plants, minimising logistics delays and costs. Furthermore, many are digital-first 'greenfield' facilities, built with advanced automation and IoT from the ground up, allowing for remarkable production flexibility and rapid model changes."

This structural advantage is well documented in recent analysis. China produced nearly 30% of the world's vehicles in 2024, making it the largest automotive manufacturer - more than double the output of the USA. China's vehicle exports surged to 5.5 million units in the same year, and were already projected at the time to exceed 7 million by the end of 2025, with EVs accounting for 40-50% of exports. 

According to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), the region achieved 8.32 million units. The phenomenon known as "China Speed" refers to the rapid pace at which Chinese companies develop and launch new vehicle - taking as little as 18 months compared to the five years still typical in the US, Europe, and Japan.

International OEMs are responding by adapting to this pace. Toyota is building a wholly-owned factory in Shanghai to produce Lexus EVs at this "China Speed," while Volkswagen has accelerated its development cycles, aiming to launch over 30 models in China by 2027. Suppliers like Marelli are also adopting the approach, aiming to cut product lead times from three years to one. 

Yichao confirms this for companies like InfoMotion; that speed to market is supported by substantial government backing, particularly in the electric vehicle sector, enabling large investments in technology and battery supply chains. But he also points to something less tangible yet equally important:

"Finally, a corporate culture prioritising relentless speed drives shorter development cycles and a 'launch and refine' mentality, allowing them to respond swiftly to market demands," he says. "In summary, it is the fusion of optimised logistics, modern digital infrastructure, state-facilitated scale, and an operational culture obsessed with velocity that creates their competitive edge in speed and output."

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This philosophy of launching products and refining them in production stands in contrast to the more deliberate validation cycles typical of established Western manufacturers. It is a strategy enabled by digital systems that allow rapid iteration and by market conditions that reward speed over exhaustive pre-launch testing. Whether this approach proves sustainable in the long term, particularly as quality expectations intensify and export markets demand compliance with stringent regulatory frameworks, remains an open question. But for now, it is delivering results.

InfiMotion's Wuxi facility exemplifies this model. Its combination of digital infrastructure, selective automation, flexible production systems and aggressive capacity expansion reflects a manufacturing strategy optimised for speed and scale. As the electric vehicle industry continues its rapid evolution, the ability to compress development timelines whilst maintaining production quality will increasingly distinguish successful suppliers from those struggling to keep pace. InfiMotion's approach suggests that in this environment, operational agility is not a luxury but a competitive necessity.