Assembly by design

The latest product development software offers new tools to improve the body engineering process and deliver flexible manufacturing capability.

A good body structure and an efficient manufacturing process are central to success in the automotive business. The body structure has primary responsibility for safety, and is a major contributor to good ride, handling, and NVH. But if the manufacturing process doesn't deliver the design as intended, customers can be lost through poor performance or higher pricing. Auto manufacturer goals are to keep costs down and quality up while reducing time to market.

At the overall business level, making effective use of expensive manufacturing resources is one way to keep costs low. Toyota in the U.S. has led the way in flexible manufacturing over the past few years. The Harbour Report North America 2005 from Harbour Consulting showed that while some U.S. plants are running at over 100% capacity, others are being used at a rate as low as 8%. The average capacity utilization for Ford, GM, DaimlerChrysler, Nissan, and Honda varies between 85 and 90%, which is a good sign, but some individual plants are severely underused. Toyota, on the other hand, has all six of its plants running at between 96 and 126% utilization. Harbour's conclusion is that “Plant flexibility is becoming even more critical in a continually unpredictable environment.”