Challenge: Design and build an all-new plant close to the Volvo plant in Gent, Belgium to produce 90 percent of the cars' body structures and sub-assemblies.

Solution: Tower Automotive designed, built and launched production in a greenfield facility 2 km from Volvo's location. It features more than 130 welding robots, state-of-the-art production equipment and a logistics center with a rail link for handling incoming parts and just-in-time delivery of assemblies to the Volvo plant. The location manufactures 90 percent all body-in-white sub-assemblies for more than 160,000 cars annually.

Products: Tower produces 90 percent of the body-in-white sub-assemblies for the Volvo S40, V50 and C30 including the upper body, underbody, doors, trunk lids and tailgates. The plant also supplies body structures for the C70 convertible.