Transforming Automobile Assembly: Experience in Automation and Work Organization

by Koichi Shimokawa (Editor), Ulrich Jürgens (Editor), Takahiro Fujimoto (Editor)

Overview

For the world's leading car-makers, the early 1990s brought radical changes. The reports published by MIT shocked management in European and American industries. Former major companies had to face consequences no one had expected. The assembly-lines were reorganized in order to achieve higher quality at lower costs.

Five years after the MIT report, this book poses the question: What are the results of this revolution in work organization? Scientists and practitioners, many of them involved in earlier reports, evaluate the changes to the automotive industry in Europe and Japan. An insight into recent concepts in automation and the organization of production.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783642643774
Publisher:	Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publication date:	09/22/2011
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1997
Pages:	414
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.03(d)

Table of Contents

1 Introduction.- 1 Introduction.- 1.1 Main Purpose of this Book.- 1.2 International Work Shop for Assembly Automation and Work Organization.- 1.3 Motivation for the Book: Why Study Assembly Automation Now?.- 1.4 Factors Affecting the Choice of Assembly Systems.- 1.4.1 Objectives of Assembly Systems.- 1.4.2 Context.- 1.5 Main Perspectives of the Book.- 1.5.1 Total System Perspective: Alternatives and Actual Results.- 1.5.2 Evolutionary Perspective.- 1.6 Organization of the Book.- 1.7 Refernces.- 2 Concepts and Histories.- 2.1 Assembly Automation in Europe — Past Experience and Future Trends.- 2.1.1 Automobile Factory: Production and Assembly.- 2.1.2 A Chronology of Innovations.- 2.1.3 Innovation Paths.- 2.1.4 Conclusions.- 2.2 Basic Trends in the Physics and Economics of Automated Fabrication and Assembly Operations.- 2.2.1 Fabrication.- 2.2.2 Assembly.- 2.2.3 Simplified Economic Models..- 2.2.4 Summary.- 2.2.5 References.- 2.3 Key Characteristics of Assembly Automation Systems.- 2.3.1 Automation, Complexity and Flexibility.- 2.3.2 Growth of Robotic Assembly.- 2.3.3 Robotics Technology.- 2.3.4 Trends in the UK and Japan.- 2.3.5 Future Potential of Robotic Assembly.- 2.3.6 References.- 2.4 What Do You Mean by Automation Ratio? Definitions by the Japanese Auto Makers.- 2.4.1 Research Questions.- 2.4.2 Types of Automation Ratios.- 2.4.3 Outline of the Survey of Automation Ratios.- 2.4.4 Results: Different Definitions of Automation Ratios by Different Firms.- 2.4.5 Implications: Multiple Indicators for Automation Ratio.- 2.4.6 References.- 3 Diversity of Approaches.- 3.1 Present State and Future Vision of Vehicle Assembly Automation in Mitsubishi Motors Corporation.- 3.1.1 Introduction.- 3.1.2 Automation of Assembly Operations.- 3.1.3 Practical Examples.- 3.1.4 Conclusions.- 3.2 Development of a new Vehicle Assembly Line at Toyota: Worker-oriented, Autonomous, new Assembly System.- 3.2.1 Development Background.- 3.2.2 Development Progress and Target.- 3.2.3 Description of the Development.- 3.2.4 Results.- 3.2.3 Closing Comment.- 3.3 Modular Assembly in Mixed-Model Production at Mazda.- 3.3.1 Conventional Assembly Line.- 3.3.2 Ideal Trim and Final Assembly Line.- 3.3.3 Advantages of Modularization.- 3.3.4 Activities for Modularization.- 3.3.5 The new Hofu Plant.- 3.3.6 Summary.- 3.4 Production of the NSX at Honda: An Alternative Directionfor Assembly Organization.- 3.4.1 Introduction.- 3.4.2 NSX as an Experiment.- 3.4.3 Challenges to be met by Production Organization.- 3.4.4 Transfer.- 3.4.5 Conclusion.- 3.4.6 References.- 3.5 The Development of an Intelligent Body Assembly System.- 3.5.1 Introduction.- 3.5.2 The Current State of Flexibility.- 3.5.3 IBAS Concepts.- 3.5.4 Configuration of the IBAS Body Main Line.- 3.5.3 Fundamental Technologies of IBAS.- 3.5.6 Benefits of IBAS.- 3.5.7 Conclusion.- 3.5.8 References.- 3.6 The Opel Production System.- 3.6.1 Reasons for a new Production System.- 3.6.2 Characterization.- 3.6.3 Eisenach Plant: A Model for the Opel Production System.- 3.6.4 First Results.- 3.7 Platform and Modular Concepts at Volkswagen — Their Effects on the Assembly Process.- 3.7.1 Introduction.- 3.7.2 The VW Platform Strategy.- 3.7.3 Practical Implementation.- 3.7.4 Modular Concepts.- 3.7.5 Future Developments.- 3.8 Automation at Renault: Strategy and Form.- 3.8.1 Automation Within a Strategy for Assembly.- 3.8.2 The Form of Automation.- 3.8.3 Work Organization.- 3.8.4 Discussion.- 3.9 Building Capabilities in Assembly Automation: Fiat’s Experiences from Robogate to the Melfi Plant.- 3.9.1 An Evolutionary Approach.- 3.9.2 Evolutionary Phases of Fiat’s Automation Strategy.- 3.9.3 Measures and Methodological Issues.- 3.9.4 The First Phase:”Pioneering“Rigid Automation.- 3.9.5 The Second Phase:”Super“Flexible Automation.- 3.9.6 The Third Phase:”Realistic“, Integrated Automation.- 3.9.7 Conclusion.- 3.9.8 References.- 3.10 The Development of a Reflective Production System Layout at Volvo’s Uddevalla Car Assembly Plant.- 3.10.1 Introduction.- 3.10.2 Planning a new Factory.- 3.10.3 Efforts to Achieve the Goals: The Evolution of a New Production System Reflected by the Layouts.- 3.10.4 Results.- 3.10.5 Final Remarks.- 3.10.6 References.- 4 Issues and Dynamics.- 4.1 Strategies for Assembly Automation in the Automobile Industry.- 4.1.1 Introduction.- 4.1.2 Types of Assembly Automation Strategy.- 4.1.3 High-tech Automation Strategy.- 4.1.4 Low-Cost Automation Strategy.- 4.1.5 Human-Fitting Automation.- 4.1.6 Human-Motivating Automation.- 4.1.7 Future Prospect: Convergence, Hybridization, and Diversity.- 4.1.8 References.- 4.2 From Fixed to Flexible: Automation and Work Organization Trends from the International Assembly Plant Study.- 4.2.1 Measuring Automation.- 4.2.2 International Trends in Automation Usage, 1989 – 1993/94.- 4.2.3 Use of Robotics.- 4.2.4 Automation use by Department.- 4.2.5 The Role of Flexible Workers.- 4.2.6 Performace Implications.- 4.2.7 Conclusion.- 4.2.8 References.- 4.3 Rolling Back Cycle Times: The Renaissance of the Classic Assembly Line in Final Assembly.- 4.3.1 Introduction.- 4.3.2 The Critics of the Assembly Line.- 4.3.3 Learning from Experiences from Longer Cycle Work.- 4.3.4 A Sustainable Solution?.- 4.3.5 References.- 4.4 Rationalization also Involves Workers — Teamwork in the Mercedes-Benz Lean Concept.- 4.4.1 Teamwork — A Participative Approach to Rationalization.- 4.4.2 New Time Savings, Teamwork and a Continuous Improvement.- Process are Elements of a new Labour Policy.- 4.4.3 Teamwork can be Organized Restrictively of Offensively.- 4.4.4 Higher Demands on Performance are Accepted if the Job is Enriched and the Group is Genuinely Allowed to Organize its own Workload.- 4.4.5Willingness to Improve Performance Through Self-Organization.- 4.4.6 A Willingness to Cooperate in the Rationalization Process.- 4.4.7 Having Twin Objectives has Stood the Test of Time — Teamwork is now Being Extended and will be used Widely in Other Areas.- 4.5 Patterns of Work Organization in the German Automobile Industry.- 4.5.1 Reorganization of Work Until the Beginning of the 90’s.- 4.5.2 The Situation in the Mid 90’s: Two Types of Group Work.- 4.5.3 References.- 4.6 The Current Social Form of Automation and a Conceivable Alternative: Experience in France.- 4.6.1 The Economic and Social Presuppositions Behind the Current Processes and Social Forms of Automation.- 4.6.2 Compatibilities and Incompatibilities Between the Current Form of Automation and new Forms of Work Organization.- 4.6.3 A Process and a Social Form of Automation Aimed at Financial Performance and Real Skilling of Work are Conceivable and Achievable in a Localized Way, but can they be Generalized?.- 4.6.4 The Difficulties of Implementation and the Social Preconditions for a Generalization of the Process and Social Form of Automation Already Discussed.- 4.6.5 Conclusions.- 4.7 Worker-Generated Production Improvements in a Reflective Production System — or Kaizen in a Reflective Production System.- 4.7.1 Introduction.- 4.7.2 Organization and Initiatives for Improvements in Different Production Systems.- 4.7.3 When what there is and what there Ought to be do not Correspond — Strategies to Solve a Disparity Problem.- 4.7.4 The Development of a Worker Controlled Holistic Method to Follow up Work Performance in Order to Improve Production Conditions.- 4.7.5 General Conclusions.- 4.7.6 References.- 4.8 Advanced Automation or Alternative Production Design? A Reflection on the new Japanese Assembly Plants and the Alternative Approach of Volvo Uddevalla.- 4.8.1 Introduction.- 4.8.2 The Automation Drive of the 1980s and the new Japanese Wave.- 4.8.3 The Uddevalla Option: Skill-Based Manual Assembly and Increased Customization.- 4.8.4 Europe in 1990s — A Return to Manual Assembly.- 4.8.5 References.- 4.9 A Misguided Trajectory? Automatically Guided Vehicles in Auto Assembly.- 4.9.1 Introduction.- 4.9.2 AGVs as a Trajectory.- 4.9.3 Plant X and the Data.- 4.9.4 Good News.- 4.9.5 Bad News.- 4.9.6 Real News.- 4.9.7 Conclusion.- 4.9.8 References.- 4.10 Organizational Change and Assembly Automation in the Dutch Automotive Industry.- 4.10.1 Introduction.- 4.10.2 Modern Sociotechnical Design and Lean Production.- 4.10.3 DAF Trucks.- 4.10.4 NedCar.- 4.10.5 Discussion.- 4.10.6 References.- 4.11 Recycling and Disassembly — Legal Burden or Strategic Opportunity?.- 4.11.1 Legal Framework in Germany.- 4.11.2 Scrap from Automobiles.- 4.11.3Ways out of the Problem: Disassembly.- 4.11.4 Disassembly Planning.- 4.11.5 Product Design.- 4.11.6 Conclusion.- 4.11.7 References.- 5 Conclusions and Outlook.- 5.1 Lessons to be Learnt from the Japanese Style of Production and their Application to Factory Automation.- 5.1.1 Diversity of Strategies Between East and West in the 1980s.- 5.1.2 Factory Automation and the Just-in-Time System.- 5.2 Design Choices for Assembly Systems.- 5.3 Outlook.- 6 The Authors of the Book.