Ford Motor Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ford Motor Company - Essay Example It houses 12 major suppliers, both tier one and tier two suppliers providing optimal conditions for lean manufacturing and just-in-time inventories. The project has reduced time travel thereby enabling Ford to save on its component inventories. It has enabled restoration of a 6-acre wet land polluted by sludge from nearby steel plants, reduced model change over time, and provides long-term savings. Body shop operations determine flexible manufacturing. It uses industry first system of standardization cells. Most of the tools are reused thus helps in cost cutting and reduces down time during product change over. They have programmable robots for the change over and welding. The shop has geo-stations for producing parts for several vehicles at the same time and ensures accurate positioning of parts. Measuring machines were also installed for precise dimensioning as the units move through the assembly process. At the body shop, vehicles stop at each station. Partial body parts are loaded to the geo-station turntable in the first station as quarter panels are loaded in adjacent station. They are remarried in the next station, the sealer. It then goes to the pre-clamp (clamp-up) area where the body side is married with floor pan. From here it goes to two framers, A and B, to be welded after which it goes to roofing station for layer welds and re-spot areas. The vehicle is now framed. Fully framed vehicle is finally inspected to clear defects and vehicle system inside. The vehicles are put on rollers test for engines, brakes and acceleration. After which they released to the yard. Renovation for the plant was indeed necessary. It set a benchmark in the automobile industry by setting up first flexible assembly system. This would definitely set competition among players in the industry. Bringing together suppliers under one roof