Achieving production agility at GM

A soon-to-launch manufacturing technology will provide the world's largest automaker with a way to shorten product changeover times.

When General Motors debuted C-Flex tooling at the Lansing Grand River Assembly plant in Michigan two years ago, the gain was an ability to weld multiple body panels-floorpans, decklids, hoods, etc.-with a single set of programmable tools and robots.

“With C-Flex, we can build a greater variety of differentiated products at much lower costs, which supports GM's flexible/agile manufacturing strategy,” said Alan Taub, Executive Director of Research and Development for GM, who noted that numerous GM plants throughout North America now use C-Flex. That same concept of flexibility soon will be applied to powertrain applications.