robots don't get tired [/b][/quote]
Oh, quite the contrary. Most all assembly is done by hand (with the help of pnuematic tools, and some hand tools) in the Trim and Final Department (the last stage of production). Some jobs are mechanically assisted, but still have a human operator. The vast majority is done by hand.

 

OK, just got off the phone with my brother in law. He said when everything is up and running, they're going to shoot for a car every 43 seconds. It will take about 23 hours to complete a car from start to finish. One interesting fact, the Mazda 6 is run down the same line at the same time as the Mustang. They may run like 3 mustangs then a Mazda. So the 30 second time might be right for a higher volume vehicle but the 20 second seems to fast.

 

And now you know the rest of the story...

 

On this new line the total build time is around 25 hours if all goes well, many reasons slow down, or stop the line.I would estimate about 40 hours or more at start up. Keep in mind they are only looking to build 44,000 thru end of 04. The average is one car very 72 seconds. I feel they will build around 400 cars per 8 hour shift once things are up and running at capacity.

 

B)Henry had a good start. But actually we can thank Deming and more modern techniques for the understanding of Cellular manufacturing, Kaizen, Tackt times, 6 Sigma, process mapping, Robotics, FEMCA, FLD, Concurrency, Logistics controls/analysis, JIT and a bunch of other gobbly goop manufacturing industry terms/buzz words understood and implemented over the past couple of decades which allow these type of production numbers.

 

I'm not sure if you factored in the Mazda 6 production? If not then if every 4th car is a Mazda, the line speed would be 57.6 seconds per car. Plus, if a person is figuring their numbers on 52 weeks a year, thats wrong too. We get at least 4 weeks off a year. It's a little more than that but I don't have a contract with me to count them. It's anyone's guess as to how much overtime will be worked

With all the variables, everyone is probably right at some point but it will be under one minute per car when they get going. In a few months, we'll see how close they come to the 43 second number they want.

 

I was at the Audi plant today btw, but wasn't allowed to take photos. It was very cool. The whole assembly process is very focused on precision and quality. Each part of the body gets laser-measured before and after assembly, they have the best and most modern paint shop in the world (cost ~300 million $), they often GLUE (yes) the body parts together (better quality than spot welding) etc. We got to see the marriage (is it called like this in english? chassis/engine and body are put together) of an A3, there were bodies (no complete cars though) of the upcoming 2005 A4... Got to sit in the A6 (don't like it at all, few space in the back, ugly steering wheel, the whole car just doesn't feel 'right'), A8 (hah. so many gadgets, incredible), TT (okay, knew this one already), A4 convertible, A3 and the new A3 Sportsback, which is a VERY nice car. Really impressive, liked it a lot.

 

AAI, a 2.7-million-square-foot complex with plastics, tool and die, stamping and other operations - not to mention its own test track - is a leader in lean manufacturing. The body shop will have more than 400 robots when Mustang production begins. Other advancements include a more efficient paint application process; fully automated, flexible glass installation; high-speed die changes; and in-sequence wheel and tire production and delivery. The "skillet" conveyor is one of the technologies of which AAI is most proud. With this system, vehicles move along on a floating platform, or skillet, that can be adjusted to the size of the team member. The Flat Rock plant opened in 1987. It has an annual capacity of 300,000 units with a line rate of 73 jobs per hour (gross). I got this info right from Ford.

 

That was '68, not 65-66 wasn't it? :scratch:

 

It's almost scary how they can build the cars so quickly and take forever at the dealership to fix a broken part.

 

 

The Audi plant has that skillet technology, too, btw, as well as automated glass installation ;-) They built both the A3 and the A3 sportsback on the same assembly line.
What was very impressive: the A3's front fascia (including headlights, cooler etc) is manufactured by an external supplier. A few hours after the body is painted, the supplier gets a message and then delivers the front fascias in the right time and the right order to the assembly line.
They do stamping there as well, btw. The machines generate a pressure of over 5000 tonnes, so they had to be put on rubber foundations that have been placed 20m deep into the ground.

 

I'm pretty sure I read that after the mustang is painted they take the doors off. This is because the doors are wider than the Mazda 6 doors and removing them helped when moving the car down the narrow line. Plus it makes the interior easier to install. I wish I could find the link again, can anyone out there help?

 

This is correct, but it's not for just the mustang. This has been the way it's been since the plant opened. They are taken, put on a conveyer, and meet up with the original car that they came from a little more than half way to the car being complete, and then get put back on. It is my understanding that this is a Mazda customary procedure, and that it reduces dents and dings in the door, and also gives us team members assembling the car more room to work.