A Transformed Plant for a Transformed Fiesta - The pant in Cologne, Germany - Brief Article

Automotive Design & Production,  Oct, 2001  by William Kimberley

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To ensure uniform quality over three shifts, the teams have standardised their work processes down to the last detail. On specially designed boards, the work groups record all the necessary assembly steps visually and in writing. All tasks and the exact location of all tools are described simply and clearly.

Ergonomic improvements have eliminated heavy physical labor from the factory floor. For example, robots automatically apply adhesives to the edges of the front and rear screens before inserting them. "Lazy arms" are used in the fitting of seats, fuel tanks, spare wheels, rear axles, batteries, front modules and doors. Mobile platforms move parallel to the production line and are height adjustable.

Training the work staff of 4,000 was a huge undertaking with a total of 180,000 hours at a cost of more than $16 million. Topics ranged from the most varied of technical training, such as robot operation and maintenance, to seminars designed to strengthen communication and problem-solving skills.

"Not a single job in the Fiesta production process will remain as it was," says Hans Peter Sulser, Cologne's operations manager. "Nearly all employees will be receiving completely new and more involved tasks."

Product specialists have been carrying out virtual assembly since mid 2000, and more than 500 pre-series vehicles will be built by this fall. When production is fully ramped up the maximum daily capacity at the plant will reach 1,800 units a day, for an annual capacity of 405,000 units. This represents a 45% increase on previous production.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Gardner Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group