It appears that General Motors plans to pull the plug on its Saturn division. If so, the 18-year-old brand will join other nameplates that you now only find in museums or classic car shows. But, Saturn will always be associated with assembly line innovation.
If you have a good idea for building an extremely fuel-efficient vehicle, the X Prize Foundation wants to hear from you. The goal of the prize is to inspire a new generation of production-capable vehicles that can exceed the equivalent of 100 miles per gallon. Teams that successfully compete in a series of stage races held in different parts of the United States will be eligible to share in a $10 million award.
A truly flexible assembly plant could produce cars, aircraft engines, refrigerators, cell phones and bagpipes on the same line. However, that type of scenario probably will never happen, because there are limits to flexibility. In fact, the most flexible type of factory may be a disposable factory.
The word “flexible” is defined many different ways by different manufacturers. That inconsistency can make it difficult to measure and monitor the effectiveness of flexible assembly lines.
No matter where or how it’s applied, the ultimate goal of flexible manufacturing is always the same: Greater responsiveness to customer demands, in addition to reduced changeover time and quicker time to market. But, exactly how much equipment reconfiguring and reuse can be done, and how much it costs, is subject to debate. Manufacturing engineers must address several myths and misperceptions that surround flexibility.
Many assembly lines are currently running much slower than this time last year. As a result, there’s a lot more idle time on plant floors these days. Keeping employees busy is crucial to keep workplace morale and productivity high.
Domestically imposed costs, such as health care insurance and litigation, harm American manufacturers more than offshore competition from China and other low-cost countries. But, other factors also affect the ability of our assembly lines to compete in today's global market.
According to most forecasts, 2009 is shaping up to be one of the most difficult years that manufacturers have faced in the last seven decades. To survive and thrive in this challenging economy, engineers must renew their efforts to reduce production costs, increase productivity, shorten time to market and improve product quality. Here are some practical tips and suggestions from leading experts.
Flexible assembly lines allow companies to react quickly to shifting customer demands and short product life cycles. As markets increasingly become less predictable, flexibility will become even more critical to manufacturers.
