Bus Manufacturers Research Articles

Organização do trabalho na cadeia de suprimentos: os casos de uma planta modular e de uma tradicional na indústria automobilística

Este artigo analisa a influência das empresas clientes na organização do trabalho de seus fornecedores em duas cadeias de suprimentos da indústria automobilística, uma comandada por uma planta modular e outra organizada num arranjo tradicional. Na cadeia tradicional, são examinadas as formas de organização do trabalho de uma fábrica de motores e de dez de seus fornecedores diretos. No caso da planta modular, produtora de caminhões e ônibus, examina-se a organização do trabalho no sistema modular como um todo, explorando-se as peculiaridades deste tipo de arranjo. Os resultados da pesquisa apontam que, na planta modular, a influência da montadora sobre a organização do trabalho configura-se de forma mais direta com relação a salários e jornada de trabalho. Na cadeia tradicional, a influência ocorre de forma indireta, por meio de exigências voltadas para outras áreas de gestão.

Modern Front axle systems for city buses

As before, the city bus stands in the shadow of the coach, which has always received much more attention in the areas of design as well as passenger comfort. The rigid front axles employed by the majority of city bus manufacturers, even with air springs, are far removed from offering the travel comfort of independent suspension, which has for years been the standard in coaches. This article presents an independent suspension system for city buses developed by ZF Fried-richshafen AG and the design details that have been implemented.

Vehicle Self-Pollution Intake Fraction: Children's Exposure to School Bus Emissions

Vehicle self-pollution occurs when a vehicle's emissions migrate to inside that vehicle's passenger compartment. This paper presents values fortwo new parameters: vehicle self-pollution intake fraction (iF(SP)), which is the total fraction of a vehicle's emissions inhaled by all people in the vehicle, and vehicle self-pollution individual intake fraction (iF1SP), which is the fraction of a vehicle's emissions inhaled by an individual in the vehicle. We use results from tracer-gas experiments in California's South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB) to quantify students' iF(SP) and iF1SP for school bus emissions. Six buses were studied during nine runs with windows open and seven runs with windows closed. Reported iF(SP) values (units: per million; min = 10, max = 94, mean = 27) indicate that the total mass of a bus' exhaust inhaled by students commuting on it is comparable in magnitude to the total mass of that bus' exhaust inhaled by all other people in the SoCAB. Reported iF1SP values (units: per million; min = 0.2, max = 2.4, mean = 0.7) indicate that average per capita inhalation of emissions from any single bus is 10(5)-10(6) times greater for a student on that school bus than for a typical resident in the SoCAB. Vehicle self-pollution rate varies with bus window position (open or closed) and bus manufacture year. Our results can be used to develop cost-effective strategies to reduce children's exposure to school bus emissions. Our results indicate, for example, that even if emission reductions were many times more expensive per gram emitted for school buses than for an average vehicle, it would still be less expensive per gram inhaled by a student to reduce emissions from school buses than from an average vehicle.

A different perspective in participatory ergonomics in product development improves assembly work in the automotive industry

This paper describes a case study of a product development process in a bus manufacturing company. The company's design and chassis production were separated from the design and production of the body. A participatory ergonomics approach was used that gathered a group of designers and production engineers from the different plants, including also ergonomics researchers. The group used different methods to improve the product design of the new chassis with respect to the productivity and ergonomics of the assembly process. Beside analyses of running chassis production, simulations were made by experienced workers using prototypes of new chassis and were complemented with computer manikin analyses. The participatory ergonomics approach used resulted in re-designs of the new product, which improved the efficiency and ergonomics of the assembly operations. The conclusion is that this different participatory ergonomics approach, termed participatory ergonomics design, PED, together with the other methods used, has a potential for facilitating communication and co-operation. The approach has a potential to improve assembly productivity and ergonomics and offer a better understanding among product designers and production engineers in product development processes. Relevance to industryThe approach of participatory ergonomics design—PED—and methods used offer industrial companies an opportunity to improve design work, production and ergonomics. Using this approach early in the product design process, can provide benefits as problems can be decreased in later stages of production design and production.

Concurrent engineering: making it work

Concurrent engineering has been a subject of discussion and on the change agenda for over ten years. Many companies claim to be doing it. Even so, the problems in communicating the customer's values to the engineers across the business, through the supply chain and into manufacturing have proved hard to solve. This article describes work undertaken during 2000/2001 in a bus manufacturer in Hungary to integrate better the work of its engineering functions and suppliers' activities with the operational processes for bidding for work, delivering orders and introducing new products.

Lymphocyte DNA damage in bus manufacturing workers

To study the effect of occupational exposure, smoking, and drinking on lymphocyte DNA damage in bus manufacturing workers, 346 employees (106 women and 240 men) from six job categories (welders, mechanics, painters, and assembling, auxiliary and managerial workers) in a bus manufacturing factory in Guangzhou were included. Significant differences of tail moment among the six job categories were found ( P=0.003) with adjustment for age and gender. Smoking increased tail moment significantly (3.14 (2.89–3.40) versus 2.79 μm (2.63–2.97), P=0.023). Analysis of covariance showed that occupational exposure ( P=0.001) and smoking ( P=0.019) had significant effect on tail moment after adjusting for all factors, whereas age and gender had no effect on DNA damage. Stratified analysis showed that painters ( P=0.002), auxiliary workers ( P=0.011), and mechanics ( P=0.044) had larger tail moments than managerial workers after adjusting for age, gender, smoking, and drinking.

Restructuring of the Commercial Vehicle Industry in the Czech Republic

This paper employs a case-study approach to examine changes in Czech truck and bus manufacturing in the 1990s. Three truck manufacturers (Tatra, Liaz, and Avia) and one bus producer (Karosa) are the focus of detailed analysis. In particular, the paper investigates enterprise behavior before privatization, privatization methods, enterprise restructuring and its effects on production, and financial health of enterprises. The paper documents the failure of voucher privatization of these enterprises to create an efficient ownership structure and improve collapsing truck production. Also, as the case of Avia illustrates, foreign direct investment does not necessarily result in successful enterprise transformation. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: F21, L20, L62. 11 figures, 56 references.

Land Speculation in Southern California: Energy Monopoly, Fiscal Crisis and the Future

Abstract. Increasing automobile traffic congestion and longer trip times on interurban trolley lines in southern California after the second world war led to the contruction of freeways. The trolleys were denied access and the efficient electric railway system was sold to bus lines, partly as a result of a conspiracy between bus manufacturers, tiremakers, and oil companies. This producecl “the golden age of land speculation” in the region. Floodplains, earthquake zones, blowsand areas and the tops and sides of crumbling cliffs were dotted with sprawled residential developments. The energy crisis of 1973, produced by the oil companies and the Arab oil cartel, turned boom into bust. As inflation and rising taxes produced by soaring property values put intolerable pressure on urban homeowners, they forced legislators to limit increases in assessed values and to restrict government spending. Now the public is challenged to produce order out of fiscal chaos and speculative ruin.

Paper 6: A Single-Deck Bus for Future Urban Transport

This paper discusses the design and manufacturing philosophy of a bus to be produced by British Leyland and the manner in which it is intended to meet the future requirements of urban transport. Changes that have been taking place in the bus industry over recent years have seriously affected both the manufacturer and the operator of public service vehicles. In the former case, bus manufacture has virtually ceased to be a profitable business, and it was obvious that a completely new approach to design and manufacture was going to be necessary if manufacturing companies were to remain in this business. In the case of the operator, there has been a steady decline in the number of passengers carried, increasing difficulties have arisen due to labour shortages in both the operation and maintenance of vehicles, and as a result it has been difficult to maintain adequate services and to remain viable financially. From the manufacturer's point of view, the need to produce a standard bus has become imperative, and all the variations introduced in the past to satisfy individual transport undertakings can no longer be justified. The large labour content in manufacture has to be reduced to make the cost of the product acceptable, and the division of responsibility between chassis and body manufacturers has to be eliminated. From the passenger point of view, bus transport has to be more attractive and must offer the same environment as that of a high-class motor car. Similarly the driver, who is frequently also a car driver, must have a working environment at least as good as that to which he has become accustomed in his private motor car. The operator has to have improved reliability and freedom from excessive maintenance so that a reduction in the demand for skilled labour can be achieved. He must also have a vehicle which can be operated satisfactorily and safely by one man. The paper discusses the requirements of passengers, drivers, operators, and manufacturers, and describes the way in which a new vehicle has been evolved in order to achieve these. It is expected that this vehicle will meet the needs, for single-deck buses for the next generation, of the majority of urban transport undertakings in the U.K. and in other countries with similar urban transportation problems, and thus make a major contribution to more rapid transit.