At Ford, more productivity than ever; Assembly time for Fiesta cut in half in 4 years at German plant.(News)

Automotive News Europe,  July, 2007  

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Byline: Michael Knauer Automobilwoche

Big changes in manufacturing processes have helped Ford of Germany nearly double its productivity over the past four years, the automaker said.

A prime example of the change is the Fiesta, built in Cologne. In 2003 it took Ford workers 24 hours to build the car. Today, it takes just 13 hours for the plant to build a Fiesta. And that's with about 1,000 fewer employees.

Ford of Europe assembles the Fiesta in three shifts at Cologne, the lead plant for the car. Currently, about 1,950 units roll off the line there daily.

Ford has made ...

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