Following a holistic approach to achieving a top level of quality at all levels, the Alfa Romeo, to create Tonale applied a series of procedures to achieve its goal. From the design and development phase to the collaboration with suppliers and the organisation of the production plant, the achievement of quality standards at a constant level was a primary objective.
The creation of a completely new production plant specifically for the Tonale may have been the basis for achieving the objective, utilising the most modern solutions in terms of training, ergonomics and technological equipment, but a commercial decision by Alfa Romeo management came to further enhance the level of quality of the model, through a unique aspect that has a multiple positive impact on the end user. By configuring the entire range with extremely rich equipment even for the basic version, Alfa Romeo has not only managed to offer a complete comfort and safety package in all versions of the Tonale, but also to reduce the complexity of production, strengthen supplier control and facilitate quality control through an overall smaller number of separate components.
Items such as exclusive availability with automatic transmission, dual-zone air conditioning, full-LED lights, sports steering wheel with integrated starter switch, D.N.A. configuration system and large 12.5-inch screens for the instrument panel and 10.25-inch screens for the multimedia system are all standard on all versions, allowing the production line to operate with significantly less complexity, while at the same time the user enjoys a top level of equipment. The placement of all of the above elements on all versions has reduced production complexity to a level that even reaches the 40% in some cases, making production and quality control processes much easier.
This commercial approach has allowed the 425 or so employees dedicated exclusively to Tonale's production to make the most of a training programme that has cumulatively exceeded 19,000 hours, in order to focus on top quality without the problems caused by the diversity of versions. On the contrary, in order to maintain the personalisation that Alfa Romeo traditionally offers, elements have been selected that differentiate the appearance and character without significantly burdening the production process, such as, for example, the wheels, exterior aesthetic details or even the active suspension that equips the Veloce version. In this way, all versions have a wealth of equipment and the same top quality, while freedom of customisation is guaranteed at no cost in terms of time and production quality.
The Alfa Romeo Tonale is built exclusively on a new production line at the Stellantis "Giambattista Vico" plant in Pomigliano d'Arco (Naples). One of the most advanced manufacturing plants of Stellantis, and of the automotive industry as a whole, part of which has been redesigned to accommodate the new Alfa Romeo model. Having won a number of awards such as the World Class Manufacturing (WCM) certificate and Automotive Lean Production award in 2012 and the WCM Gold Medal in 2013, in 2021 the plant was further upgraded to accommodate the new era brought by electrification.
