I am currently analyzing automotive plant design: final vehicle assembly -Press Shop, Body Shop (BIW), Paint Shop, and final assembly shop. I need to concentrate on plant layout design and will examine how this affects competitive manufacturing in the automotive industry.
What is the current layout strategy in the press, body, paint and final assembly shops of some specific automotive plants? Can anyone suggest some favoured line configurations?
The traditional assembly line still seems central to most automotive plants emphasizing lean manufacturing and production teams of a conservative framework. Variability of assembly lines can take the form of: traditional assembly line; modified assembly lines; parallel flow lines with varying cycle times; and complete assembly shops/stations with no assembly lines.
Former plants such as Volvo (Uddevalla) were parallel assembly shops in which an auto is assembled in a station with itinerant work teams. These are no longer deemed a competitive manufacturing scheme. It was apparently the most satisfying from a human standpoint and even more productive than some traditional plants.
Can anyone comment on experiences at Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, Volkswagen, NUMMI, CAMI Saturn or other plants? Are any using techniques adapted from Uddevalla?
To what degree can we profitably/humanely automate in final assembly? Can anyone describe what recent manual operations were automated? Similarly, what are specific examples of manual operations in the above shops that can reasonably be automated? Have paint shops been totally automated and if so where?
Thank-you
What is the current layout strategy in the press, body, paint and final assembly shops of some specific automotive plants? Can anyone suggest some favoured line configurations?
The traditional assembly line still seems central to most automotive plants emphasizing lean manufacturing and production teams of a conservative framework. Variability of assembly lines can take the form of: traditional assembly line; modified assembly lines; parallel flow lines with varying cycle times; and complete assembly shops/stations with no assembly lines.
Former plants such as Volvo (Uddevalla) were parallel assembly shops in which an auto is assembled in a station with itinerant work teams. These are no longer deemed a competitive manufacturing scheme. It was apparently the most satisfying from a human standpoint and even more productive than some traditional plants.
Can anyone comment on experiences at Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, Volkswagen, NUMMI, CAMI Saturn or other plants? Are any using techniques adapted from Uddevalla?
To what degree can we profitably/humanely automate in final assembly? Can anyone describe what recent manual operations were automated? Similarly, what are specific examples of manual operations in the above shops that can reasonably be automated? Have paint shops been totally automated and if so where?
Thank-you
