Lean Manufacturing Assembly

60 Years of ASSEMBLY

For six decades, ASSEMBLY has been the leading source of knowledge about tools and techniques for joining parts into finished products

John Sprovieri

October 5, 2018

ASSEMBLY was born in October 1958 with the name Assembly & Fastener Engineering. Although its name was later shortened to Assembly Engineering, and subsequently to ASSEMBLY, it was then, and is today, a magazine of ideas and methods.

Lean lights the way to success at Grote Industries

John Sprovieri

October 3, 2018

Before the availability of electric lights, early automobiles were equipped with gas lamps for headlights and oil lamps for taillights. Electric lights did not become commonplace until the 1920s.

2018 Assembly Plant of the Year: Ford Shifts Flexible Assembly Into High Gear

The Van Dyke transmission plant excels at high-volume, high-mix production.

Austin Weber

October 2, 2018

One of the top transmission assembly plants in the world is Ford Motor Co.'s Van Dyke facility in Sterling Heights, MI. It's part of a network of Ford factories that mass-produce axles, engines and other power train components used in the company's cars and trucks.

Quality Products Start With Quality Projects

Jon Quigley

September 10, 2018

Project quality and product quality are different things, but they are inextricably linked—or they should be. It is possible for a project to seem successful and deliver the anticipated result, only to find out later the product is not what was expected.

Green manufacturing drives success at Kenworth

Zoe Leduc

September 5, 2018

With nearly a century of experience manufacturing trucks, it's no surprise that Kenworth is one of PACCAR's most successful arms. Kenworth, along with fellow PACCAR brand Peterbilt, achieved a record 30.7 percent of retail market share for Class 8 trucks in the U.S. and Canada in 2017, up from 28.5 percent in 2016.

How to Use Laser Projection to Streamline Manufacturing and Eliminate Costly Physical Templates

September 1, 2018

Much of today's manufacturing involves the use of physical templates which can be costly and cumbersome.

Tougher customer requirements drive investment at Bendix

John Sprovieri

August 2, 2018

Trucks moved roughly 71 percent of the nation's freight by weight in 2016, according to the American Trucking Association. That's 10.55 billion tons of freight or $738.9 billion in gross freight revenue. To move all that stuff around, some 34 million trucks logged more than 450 billion miles.

GE Stays on Track by Rebuilding Locomotives

Flexible assembly lines turn tired workhorses into modern machines

Austin Weber

August 1, 2018

In the Chicagoland area, the home of ASSEMBLY Magazine for the past 60 years, freight trains are a daily fact of life. It's hard to drive anywhere without encountering at least one long train with numerous cars pulled by powerful locomotives.

Precise Parts Positioning Can Help Improve Throughput

Flow racks, kitting and pick-to-light systems can help reduce errors

Austin Weber

May 10, 2018

Parts come in all sizes, shapes and weights. But, any type of part isn't good until it's at the right location, at the right time and at the right height on assembly lines.

Daily Walking Is a Healthy Activity in Lean Plants

Austin Weber

May 3, 2018

According to most doctors, walking is one of the best forms of exercise that people can do. Among other things, it helps lower blood pressure, improves mental health and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.