Boosted Falcon

This is a story that is a bit over 12 months old now but it is more relevant now than ever because of the auto crisis in the US. Talk of bailouts for the 'Big Three' in Detroit has been going on for some time now, the UAW (United Auto Workers) union are not interested in compromising. The auto makers are building their production facilities elsewhere. Check out what they are doing in Brazil... this type of plant would never be built in the US.

At Camaçari, more than two dozen suppliers operate right inside the Ford complex, in many cases producing components alongside Ford's main production line. Having those supplier operations on-site allows Ford to take the concept of just-in-time manufacturing to a whole new level. Inventories are kept to a bare minimum, or dispensed with entirely. Components such as dashboard assemblies flow directly into the main Ford assembly line at the precise point and time they are needed.

Main article - Brazil's Camaçari plant is model for the future
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... /0/SPECIAL

Interactive - Take a tour of the advanced manufacturing plant in rural Camaçari, Brazil
http://detnews.com/autos/fordplant/

Video - Key components of Ford's South America turnaround plan
http://info.detnews.com/video/index.cfm?id=1204

Video - Lessons from South America being applied in North America
http://info.detnews.com/video/index.cfm?id=1205

Video - Ford's most advanced assembly plant operates in rural Brazil
http://info.detnews.com/video/index.cfm?id=1189

Special report - More stories, multimedia on the South American auto boom
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl ... th-America

This is similar to the broadmeadows plant. My former employer (Air International) built a facility next door to ford for JIT supply of interior & AC components.

Yes these are the plants of the future, highly automated, multi-skilled staff, component manufacturers producing at the same site and everyone trying to find better ways of doing everything. Not multiple layers of management, a bloated workforce, make work jobs that can be easily automated, inflated wages, unrealistic benefits into retirement and lazy worthless employees protected by unions. It makes no sense that someone can be paid $80 an hour to put the same five bolts into each car that comes past them on the assembly line and then have the protection of the unions which makes them virtually unable to be fired.

galapogos01 wrote:This is similar to the broadmeadows plant. My former employer (Air International) built a facility next door to ford for JIT supply of interior & AC components.

Yeah they make the HIM's, Door lock actuators and BEM's etc that ive never seen break