Since the launch of the FAW J7 in 2018, this model has consistently maintained a leading market share in the domestic high-end heavy truck segment. The FAW J7 Chuangling Edition, which was launched at the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition on November 15, 2024, will continue to follow the product positioning of high-end heavy trucks. This time, it is not only aimed at the domestic market, but FAW Jiefang is targeting the global high-end heavy truck market.
Competing on the International Stage
Becoming a “China’s No.1, world-class” provider of green and intelligent transportation solutions is the unswerving strategic goal of FAW Jiefang. How does FAW Jiefang ensure that the quality of the J7 Chuangling Edition is at the world’s top level during the research and development and manufacturing processes? “FAW Jiefang always puts product quality first, and the most straightforward evaluation from users for Jiefang trucks is that they are ‘durable and tough’. Pursuing excellent quality is the foundation of FAW Jiefang. Behind the J7 Chuangling Edition is a closely linked, rigorous and complete quality system of FAW Jiefang from the research and development end to the manufacturing end,” said Wang Jianyu, a member of the Party Committee and Deputy General Manager of FAW Jiefang, as well as the Dean and Secretary of the Party Committee of the Commercial Vehicle Development Institute, in an interview with reporters. “The J7 Chuangling Edition is a high-end model born on the shoulders of the FAW J7,” said Liu Huishen, Assistant Dean of the Commercial Vehicle Development Institute of FAW Jiefang and Project Manager of the J7 Chuangling Edition, straightforwardly. To design a model that is “based on the FAW J7 and superior to the FAW J7”, the project team of the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition first decomposed the goals. If the product is to be world-class, then the vehicle’s energy consumption, reliability, safety, comfort and intelligence level should also reach the world-class level.
In terms of energy consumption, the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition is equipped with the GD300-3.0 intelligent power domain platform independently developed by FAW Jiefang. It includes the Jiefang Power CA6DV1 high-efficiency diesel engine with a maximum power of 640 horsepower (approximately 470kW) and a torque of 3000N·m, paired with the CA12TA300A integrated AMT transmission and the newly upgraded high-efficiency and lightweight 440 axle. This power chain has the ability of integrated coordinated control. Combined with intelligent economic driving and the new generation of predictive cruise function, it can save about 2 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers compared with the products of competitors. If calculated based on driving 2 million kilometers in 5 years, the energy consumption cost can be saved by 80,000 yuan, the maintenance cost can be saved by 70,000 yuan, and the total usage cost can be saved by up to 350,000 yuan.
Wang Wenhai, the procurement representative of the J7 Chuangling Edition project, said that reliability is one of the keys to ensuring the vehicle’s attendance rate and transportation timeliness. The accessories selected for the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition can meet the high-timeliness transportation needs of users. In the construction of the parts supply system, the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition uses world-class suppliers and the top three parts suppliers in various domestic fields. In addition, since it is a high-end heavy truck for the global market, during the development of this model, the research and development team also took into account the regulatory and standard requirements of different markets.
In terms of after-sales service, Wang Lei, the service representative of the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition project, introduced that by benchmarking with imported heavy trucks, FAW Jiefang far exceeds the standards of imported heavy trucks in terms of after-sales service technical level, service attitude, parts system and the number of service outlets. In addition, during the development of the Jiefang J7 Chuangling Edition, after-sales service technicians also put forward 50 service optimization requirements for the FAW J7 model. On the J7 Chuangling Edition model, these 50 optimization requirements have been implemented one by one. Wang Lei said that this is the embodiment of being “based on the FAW J7 and superior to the FAW J7”. These optimization measures will make the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition have better maintenance accessibility, lower maintenance difficulty, and also make users more worry-free.
Liu Huishen took over the topic and continued to introduce that in addition to these 50 service optimization requirements, during the research and development process, in terms of improving the overall reliability of the vehicle, the research and development team sorted out a total of 88 improvement points based on the FAW J7 model. Through tackling these points one by one, Liu Huishen’s team is very confident in the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition. He said that the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition has reached the world-class level.
A good horse deserves a good saddle, and a good product depends on an advanced factory for production. When it comes to the production and manufacturing of FAW Jiefang, one thing has to be mentioned. Not long ago, the J7 intelligent factory of FAW Jiefang, which produces the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition, was rated as one of the first batch of excellent intelligent factories by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. This is the only intelligent factory among domestic commercial vehicle enterprises to receive this honor.
Unprecedented R&D Investment
“If we compare a vehicle to a person, then the B10 life represents the length of life, and the 12MIS (mid-term 12-month failure rate) represents the quality of life. During the development of the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition, we need to ensure that it lives long and lives well,” said Yu Hongjian, the R&D representative of the J7 Chuangling Edition project, making the measurement standards of product quality in the automotive industry more vivid.
During the development of the J7 Chuangling Edition, the 12MIS index of this product was set at 1000, and the overall B10 life of the vehicle exceeds 2 million kilometers. These two values were determined by the project team after fully researching the market. Usually, the 12MIS of similar models in the industry is around 1500-1700, and the 12MIS of a certain high-end heavy truck of a foreign brand is around 840 (excluding the engine, transmission and axle). For a product, the lower the 12MIS value, the more reliable the product is. When talking about the R&D of the Jiefang J7 Chuangling Edition, Wang Lei used the word “unprecedented” to describe it. In order to implement the 50 service optimization requirements and 88 performance improvement points one by one, the R&D team of the Jiefang J7 Chuangling Edition carried out high-frequency performance tests. Through joint research by multiple departments such as R&D, procurement and manufacturing, and benchmarking of products and manufacturing technologies, a total of 33 engineering prototype vehicles were invested for performance verification. In the words of the members of the R&D team, this is the basis for the Jiefang J7 Chuangling Edition to achieve high reliability.
The IPD process was frequently mentioned during the interview. As one of the pilot projects of the IPD process of FAW Jiefang, the project team of the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition has felt the benefits brought by the IPD process to R&D. Whether it is the traditional development mode or the application of the IPD process, intense discussions are inevitable during the product development process. Liu Hongbo, who is over fifty years old, is the manufacturing representative of the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition project. When talking about the lean manufacturing of the J7 Chuangling Edition, he opened up.
“Before the prototype vehicle trial production, we put forward the painting process requirements for the lower door trim panel. The assembly gap should be either less than 1 mm or greater than 7 mm, otherwise it will affect the painting effect,” Liu Hongbo said. However, the provided samples did not meet his requirements. After two consecutive weeks of multiple team meetings, the persons in charge of multiple fields such as design, styling, process and procurement sat down, and the R&D team fully discussed and finally solved this problem. The newly designed parts meet the requirements and standards of each process. Liu Hongbo said that there are many such cases. After adopting the IPD process, the efficiency of resolving disputes and contradictions is faster. In other words, this is very beneficial to improving product reliability and production efficiency, and everything becomes smooth in the quality system audit of the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition.
Liu Huishen summarized that after adopting the IPD process, the controversial points of design R&D and production manufacturing are brought forward. The R&D team sits together for full brainstorming to find solutions and find the balance point in each field. This improves the R&D efficiency and significantly reduces the R&D cycle.
Intelligent Configuration Should Come from and Serve the Users
As the first high-end heavy truck in the industry to be mass-produced with L2-level assisted driving function as a standard configuration, the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition has once again refreshed the intelligence level of domestic high-end heavy trucks. Why does it dare to be the first in the industry to have a “mass-produced standard configuration”, and what is the starting point of FAW Jiefang?
Liu Huishen said that this question should be answered from two dimensions. First, FAW Jiefang has been conducting R&D and testing of intelligent functions since 2017, with a long verification mileage, rich data resources accumulated, and a relatively mature technical platform. Second, based on the actual needs of the market, currently, transportation services with a distance of more than 1000 kilometers are generally undertaken by a single driver. The assisted driving function can effectively ensure safety and timeliness, and can help operating enterprises reduce costs. It is said that in the highway logistics industry, “those who buy the trucks don’t drive them, and those who drive the trucks don’t buy them”. During multiple market research, the R&D team of the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition figured out the market and user needs. Users have the need to reduce costs and have higher requirements for safety. Considering the needs in a scenario-based manner is the starting point for the mass production of the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition with L2-level assisted driving function as a standard configuration. Liu Huishen said that this is also an important product feature of the J7 Chuangling Edition.
FAW Jiefang continues to break through the system fuel-saving technology and continuously promotes a substantial reduction in the logistics costs of the whole society. In terms of intelligent configuration, the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition is not only equipped with functions such as digital keys and voice recognition, but also has the value-added service of a safety butler. Based on the background fatigue monitoring system of FAW Jiefang, it can realize 24-hour fatigue driving reminder. In this regard, FAW Jiefang further meets the users’ safety needs, advancing post-event management to in-event and pre-event management, and maximizing the safety of vehicles and drivers. Facing the highly competitive market, FAW Jiefang always adheres to the concept that “competing on price” has no future, and “competing on value” is the right path. The birth of the FAW J7 Chuangling Edition is not only the birth of another high-end heavy truck of FAW Jiefang, but also a refresh of the industry standards. It is promoting the continuous progress of domestic heavy trucks towards high-end and intelligent directions.
