Vehicle Assembly Plants Research Articles

Peculiarities of safety assessment and quality assurance for automotive vehicles produced in Russia under present-day conditions

The paper is dedicated to systematization and description of technical regulation measures taken by the Government of the Russian Federation in the field of automotive vehicle safety assessment to ensure stable production under the sanctions imposed by unfriendly countries, interruption of logistic chains in vehicle component supplies and deficiency of such components. The paper analyzes differences in technical requirements for new-type vehicles released for circulation in the territory of Russia, and procedures to assess compliance with those requirements stated by the Eurasian Economic Union Technical Regulations “On Wheeled Vehicles Safety” and temporary procedure for application of obligatory requirements for wheeled vehicles and their compliance assessment introduced by the decree of the Russian Government, as well as dynamic of changes in such differences. There is also a description given for the quality management systems voluntary certification system developed within the Association of Russian Automakers (OAR), and proposals drawn up to supplement Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 719 dated July 17, 2015, On Confirmation of Industrial Manufacturing in the Russian Federation with conditions for additional scoring in case vehicle assembly plants have a certain number of Tier I suppliers that have certified their quality system in terms of compliance with the OAR voluntary certification system

Prospects for the Development of Vehicle Assembly Plants of Chinese Automobile Brands in Kazakhstan: An Example of Multi-Sectoral Diversification of the Economy to Increase Its Sustainability

This article discusses the problems that arise and must be resolved in order to ensure the efficiency and sustainability of Chinese-brand automobile assembly in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is shown as a model of an oil-driven economy seeking industrial modernization and the most dynamic car assembly case in Central Asia in the past 5 years. Since the automotive industry development strategies in different countries have various specific characteristics and provide an overview of the main global and regional trends in the development of the automotive industry, the problems of industry development also leverage the accumulated experiences of different countries where government initiatives have fostered the growth of their domestic automotive industry. Although we use standard and well-proven methods of analysis, planning, and forecasting, the novelty of the approach lies in the fact that any new company entering the market and opening a new production facility should focus on maintaining the sustainability of the country’s automotive industry within the framework of the adopted industry development strategy. We have developed such an algorithm for planning a strategy. The blend of traditional methodologies and their adaptation makes the suggested methodology new. We also considered the fact that, due to a lack of knowledge, there are significant challenges when determining whether localizing automobile components is feasible. An assessment of the prospects for the automotive industry in Kazakhstan based on data from open sourcesmade it possible to develop options for possible strategies from which the most appropriate one can be selected. The conclusion chapter presents findings, limitations of the study, and directions for future research. The use of this approach allows for considering the interplay of the factors at the stage of an industry development strategy emerging and establishing long-term plans that take into account the specific characteristics of Kazakhstan’s development.

Simulation of a Thermal Recuperative Incinerator of VOCs with a Special Focus on the Heat Exchanger

Simulation and modeling of thermal recuperative incinerators may play an important role in enhancing efficiency and ensuring compliance with environmental regulations. In this context, the primary objective of this study is to simulate and comprehensively understand the operation of a geometrically complex thermal recuperative incinerator with an integrated preheater featuring varying levels of heat recovery. To achieve this objective, a simple yet effective 0D model was developed. This modeling approach allows for a holistic evaluation of the performance of the incinerator, enabling the assessment of key parameters, such as temperatures and heat transfer rates, under varying operating conditions. Successful validation of the model is established by comparing its results with measurements from an industrial thermal recuperative incinerator in operation at a vehicle assembly plant, with maximum relative differences of around 9%. Simulations for different percentages of flue gases bypassing the preheater were conducted, indicating a good compromise between heat transfer and pressure drop and a 22% heat recovery at around 50%. The model presented in this paper provides a robust foundation for comprehensively assessing and optimizing the performance of thermal recuperative incinerators and systems that comprise thermal recuperative incinerators, with implications for waste management and sustainable energy recovery systems.

Application of the control chart for variables in a vehicle assembly plant in the south of the state of Rio de Janeiro

Vehicle assemblers have quality as a prerequisite for the proper functioning of their process. The monitoring of the quality of this type of industrial activity is carried out by means of control charts by variables. The objective of this article is to show a case study carried out in a company in the south of the State of Rio de Janeiro that used this type of control chart, more specifically the control chart of the mean and amplitude to evaluate a process carried out by three machines. The results showed the need for some adjustments and managerial attitudes will be taken to improve the process.

Raman Spectroscopy to Enhance Investigative Lead Information in Automotive Clearcoats.

A new method to determine the make and model of a vehicle from an automotive paint sample recovered at the crime scene of a vehicle-related fatality such as a hit-and-run using Raman microscopy has been developed. Raman spectra were collected from 118 automotive paint samples from six General Motors (GM) vehicle assembly plants to investigate the discrimination power of Raman spectroscopy for automotive clearcoats using a genetic algorithm for pattern recognition that incorporates model inference and sample error in the variable selection process. Each vehicle assembly plant pertained to a specific vehicle model. The spectral region between 1802 and 697 cm-1 was found to be supportive of the discrimination of these six GM assembly plants. By comparison, only one of the six automotive assembly plants could be differentiated from the other five assembly plants using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), which is the most widely used analytical method for the examination of automotive paint) and the genetic algorithm for pattern recognition. The results of this study indicate that Raman spectroscopy in combination with pattern recognition methods offers distinct advantages over FT-IR for the identification and discrimination of automotive clearcoats.

The Assessment of Car Making Plants with an Integrated Stochastic Frontier Analysis Model

As global competition has intensified in the automotive industry, there is a strong need for management teams to develop methods that allow accurate and objective assessments of plant productivity and to identify productivity improvement opportunities for the best manufacturing practices. Stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) models have been used as a statistical benchmarking tool to provide a bird’s-eye view of an industrial sector. SFA models can also be adapted for plant productivity assessment. However, owing to the problem of multicollinearity, the general form of SFA is difficult to apply to the assessment of complex manufacturing systems in the automotive industry, which is characterized by many control and external factors that are intercorrelated to each other. This study proposes a method for applying SFA to vehicle manufacturing plants with a focus on gaining high accuracy in model parameter estimation, by decomposing a plant into components (i.e., shops), building an SFA model for each shop, and reintegrating the general plant system through the appropriate combination of shop-level inefficiency distributions. In particular, this study focuses on documenting the derivation of a new probability density function that integrates three different inefficiency distributions. For illustration of the proposed approach, hypothetical vehicle assembly plants are assessed as examples, where the total labor hours are split into Bodyshop, Paintshop, and General Assembly, exclusively and collectively. Finally, this study offers a solution process to clarify the reasons for underperforming plants in terms of labor productivity and identify the course of actions to cure the issues with some managerial insights emphasizing the balanced approach, incorporating people, process and technology.

Career Development Intervention Module: Towards Enhancing Unskilled Workers in Malaysia

This study validated and tested the reliability of Career Development Intervention Module (CDIM) meant for unskilled workers within the context of Malaysia. The module was developed based on Intelligent Career Model (ICM), with incorporation of Sidek’s Module Development Model (SMDM) at the time of the development process. The content validity of the developed module was determined by gaining feedback from a panel of five experts during the module development phase. The reliability test was performed via pilot test that involved 30 unskilled workers in a vehicle assembly plant. The participants were composed of young employees who had joined the selected company for less than three years and yet to obtain certification for their skills. The validation analysis revealed that the panel of experts was in agreement with the suitability of the developed CDIM for unskilled workers in order to improve their career competencies. The outcomes of the pilot test displayed that the objectives of each sub-module (Knowing-Why, Knowing-How, and Knowing-Whom) were successfully met. Therefore, this study ascertains that the developed CDIM is indeed suitable for unskilled workers, especially towards enhancing their career competencies

In-plant lean logistics management: Case study on Chinese automotive practices

Chinese automotive firms, drive standardisation and continuous improvement in their operations to stay competitive in business. To achieve profitable results, the firms deployed in-plant lean logistics management to optimise the inventory level, flow of materials, components and sub-assemblies to produce the finished vehicles. The purpose of this paper is, to report in-plant logistics management of a Chinese automotive firm and its impact on improved operations performance. It also exhibits the use of mixed model vehicle assemblies, to achieve no part stock-out situation. It is evident from this study that lean techniques are able to increase organisation efficiency through waste reduction and improve fitness. This qualitative research is done by: 1) visit to the firm; 2) detailed observations; 3) using questionnaire and interviews of employees and third-party logistics (3PL) suppliers. For in-plant logistics performance, the study also suggests improving the standardisation and material movements across warehousing facilities and vehicle assembly plants.

Digital Human and Robot Simulation in Automotive Assembly using Siemens Process Simulate: A Feasibility Study

Abstract The global trend toward customization in the automotive sector has led to significant increase in the variability of components available to the assembly process. The increase in product variability directly impacts the complexity of the manufacturing process and consequently increases the possibility for human-generated error. Several solutions have been offered to reduce the potential risk of error in complex assembly processes which can be generalized as cognitive-based or physical-based assistive methods. Creating a digital twin of the process, both the human and machine elements, is a preliminary requirement before deploying such solutions in a real-world manufacturing environment. The digital twin simulation provides a platform for testing a variety of solutions and what-if scenarios to improve planning and decision making. While there exist commercially available products of human digital twin modeling, these do not provide a proper platform for human – machine interaction modeling. In the context of this work, machine is defined as an industrial robot with an objective of investigating the feasibility of deploying a smart collaborative robotic solution to provide physical assistance to the human worker in a cumbersome manufacturing process. To do so, an overhead assembly operation from a real-world vehicle assembly plant is identified, and a digital twin of human model is created in Siemens Tecnomatix suite. The study starts with the simulation of various human anthropomorphic models to discover the limitations in performing the assembly tasks based on gender, weight and height. Furthermore, a digital twin of a mobile robot designed to provide physical assistance to the human to perform the assembly operation is introduced. The results are evaluated in terms of process time, joint ergonomic impact and reveal some current limitations of combined digital twin modeling of humans and robots collaborating.

Assembly line performance and modeling

Automobile sector forms the backbone of manufacturing sector. Vehicle assembly line is important section in automobile plant where repetitive tasks are performed one after another at different workstations. In this thesis, a methodology is proposed to reduce cycle time and time loss due to important factors like equipment failure, shortage of inventory, absenteeism, set-up, material handling, rejection and fatigue to improve output within given cost constraints. Various relationships between these factors, corresponding cost and output are established by scientific approach. This methodology is validated in three different vehicle assembly plants. Proposed methodology may help practitioners to optimize the assembly line using lean techniques.

Design of energy system in vehicle assembly plants for decarbonizing society

Design of energy system in vehicle assembly plants for decarbonizing society

Improving Energy Efficiency for the Vehicle Assembly Industry: A Discrete Event Simulation Approach

This paper presented a Discrete Event Simulation (DES) model for investigating and improving energy efficiency in vehicle assembly line. The car manufacturing industry is one of the highest energy consuming industries. Using Rockwell Arena DES package; a detailed model was constructed for an actual vehicle assembly plant. The sources of energy considered in this research are electricity and fuel; which are the two main types of energy sources used in a typical vehicle assembly plant. The model depicts the performance measurement for process- specific energy measures of painting, welding, and assembling processes. Sound energy efficiency model within this industry has two-fold advantage: reducing CO2 emission and cost reduction associated with fuel and electricity consumption. The paper starts with an overview of challenges in energy consumption within the facilities of automotive assembly line and highlights the parameters for energy efficiency. The results of the simulation model indicated improvements for energy saving objectives and reduced costs.

Modeling Energy Efficiency As A Green Logistics Component In Vehicle Assembly Line

This paper uses System Dynamics (SD) simulation to investigate the concept green logistics in terms of energy efficiency in automotive industry. The car manufacturing industry is considered to be one of the highest energy consuming industries. An efficient decision making model is proposed that capture the impacts of strategic decisions on energy consumption and environmental sustainability. The sources of energy considered in this research are electricity and fuel; which are the two main types of energy sources used in a typical vehicle assembly plant. The model depicts the performance measurement for process- specific energy measures of painting, welding, and assembling processes. SD is the chosen simulation method and the main green logistics issues considered are Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emission and energy utilization. The model will assist decision makers acquire an in-depth understanding of relationship between high level planning and low level operation activities on production, environmental impacts and costs associated. The results of the SD model signify the existence of positive trade-offs between green practices of energy efficiency and the reduction of CO2 emission.

Automotive FDI and Dependent Development: The Case of Slovakia’s City-Regions in the Bratislava-Zilina Corridor

Since the fall of State Socialism in 1989, the worlds largest automakers have established 13 light vehicle assembly plants in the Central European nations of Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Although it missed much of the 1990s boom, the central location of Slovakias city-regions, along with their skilled, but relatively inexpensive labor force, have resulted in that nation becoming a prime production base for the export of automobiles to developed Europe during the 2010s, as well as to North America. Drawing upon World Systems Theory and research on the CE auto industry, this article examines Automotive Industry related foreign direct investment ( i.e., Auto FDI) in Slovakias Bratislava, Trencin, Trnava, and Zilina City-Regions ( i.e. the Bratislava- Zilina Corridor). It finds that although Auto FDI may have helped boost Slovakias Gross Domestic Product and per capita Gross National Income to semi-periphery levels, it also has made the economies of the four city-regions in its Bratislava-Zilina Corridor overly dependent on foreign transnational corporations from the highly cyclical automotive industry. Basing its conclusions upon World System theorist depictions of semi-periphery nations, it then concludes that while Slovakias economic levels may qualify as middle income/semi-periphery, the structural role its major city-regions play within the worlds automotive industrial division of labor has not yet achieved this position. Rather, their status now more closely resembles what might be labeled the upper perimeter of the periphery , where core-peripheral-like power relations have remained much more prominent than in many other semi-periphery nations, particularly as compared with the original Asian NIEs and todays BRICs.

The employment impact of motor vehicle assembly plant openings

Local governments often offer motor vehicle assembly plants large subsidies to locate in their jurisdiction. A frequent justification is that an assembly plant will attract upstream parts suppliers to locate nearby and provide manufacturing jobs. Using propensity score matching, I find that an assembly plant brings an average of 500 additional parts supplier jobs beyond the employment gains the region would have experienced without the assembly plant. This increase is far less than predicted by the input–output models that state development agencies often employ.

Plant Location Patterns in the European Automobile Supplier Industry

AbstractMotor vehicle and motor vehicle parts production tend to exhibit a strong degree of agglomeration. We estimate a location model utilizing detailed plant‐level data for over 1,700 European locations of the largest motor vehicle parts suppliers, as well as the location of all light vehicle assembly plants operational in 2010. This unique data set allows us to estimate a location model for the region at a significantly higher level of resolution than the previous literature. The results suggest that the main forces of agglomeration in the European auto supplier sector are highway access and the desire to locate near assembly plants as well as near other parts‐producing plants.

Order batching and time efficiency in kit preparation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine whether man-hour efficiency of picking is affected by the use of batch preparation, compared to preparation of one kit at a time. This paper focuses on small kit preparation areas. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on two experiments that were performed at a vehicle assembly plant and then analysed quantitatively. Findings – The results provide a strong indication of the advantages associated with batch preparation, in terms of man-hour efficiency. Practical implications – The fact that the effects identified during the experiments are substantial, over 20 per cent reduction of average time per picked component in Experiment 1 and 7 per cent in Experiment 2, indicates that the option of batch picking holds potentials for large cost reduction and should be considered when kit preparation systems are designed. Originality/value – Limited research has dealt with the design of kit preparation systems, thus leaving considerable knowledge gaps. Previous research dealing with batch picking focuses on other environments than kitting and on large picking areas where batching can reduce walking distances. In contrast, the current paper focuses on small picking areas, which are common in industrial kitting applications. This paper provides a considerable contribution by demonstrating improvements in time efficiency that batch preparation can offer to small picking areas in addition to larger areas. The discussion also provides a basis for future research, which could focus on aspects other than time efficiency, such as the quality of kit preparation, and variables that might moderate the effect of batching.

Estimating the Technical Improvement of Energy Efficiency in the Automotive Industry—Stochastic and Deterministic Frontier Benchmarking Approaches

The car manufacturing industry, one of the largest energy consuming industries, has been making a considerable effort to improve its energy intensity by implementing energy efficiency programs, in many cases supported by government research or financial programs. While many car manufacturers claim that they have made substantial progress in energy efficiency improvement over the past years through their energy efficiency programs, the objective measurement of energy efficiency improvement has not been studied due to the lack of suitable quantitative methods. This paper proposes stochastic and deterministic frontier benchmarking models such as the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) model and the data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to measure the effectiveness of energy saving initiatives in terms of the technical improvement of energy efficiency for the automotive industry, particularly vehicle assembly plants. Illustrative examples of the application of the proposed models are presented and demonstrate the overall benchmarking process to determine best practice frontier lines and to measure technical improvement based on the magnitude of frontier line shifts over time. Log likelihood ratio and Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient tests are conducted to determine the significance of the SFA model and its consistency with the DEA model. ENERGY STAR® EPI (Energy Performance Index) are also calculated.

Environmental Justice at Work: The UAW, the War on Cancer, and the Right to Equal Protection from Toxic Hazards in Postwar America

During an address to the American Occupational Health Conference in Detroit, Michigan, on April 22, 1980, United Automobile Workers (uaw) president Douglas A. Fraser made a bold announcement. The uaw was declaring “war on workplace cancer” in response to an alarming series of cancer mortality studies conducted among autoworkers by government, company, and union epidemiologists. These studies revealed an “increased proportion of cancer deaths” among “workers in machining operations, foundry workers, and workers in vehicle assembly plants”; the epidemiologists believed those deaths were related to occupational carcinogen exposure. Despite the “current economic situation,” Fraser argued that ambitious cancer screening programs and tougher engineering controls on carcinogens in manufacturing were necessary. General Motors (gm) chief executive Thomas Murphy, who also spoke at the conference, chastised the Detroit News for running “glaring” negative headlines about the studies, but he did not challenge Fraser's assertion. A few months later, gm announced what the New York Times called the “largest cancer-screening program in the history of American industry,” and Chrysler Corporation soon followed with its own program.1

Agglomeration in the European Automobile Supplier Industry

Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts production plants tend to exhibit a strong degree of agglomeration. This paper estimates a spatial model utilizing detailed plant-level data that is pooled across seven countries in Europe. The paper makes several contributions. First, we assemble a set of nearly 1,800 European plant locations of the largest motor vehicle parts suppliers, as well as the location of all light vehicle assembly plants operational in 2010. Second, we obtain detailed spatial data – at a higher resolution than what is provided by the NUTS-3 regions – for five European countries (France, Spain, Italy, Poland, and the Czech Republic). For the U.K. (ward level) and Germany (community level) we acquired spatial data at an even more detailed level. These seven countries are home to over 70% of the plants in our data set. The ability to pool data from multiple countries allows us to estimate a location model for a large share of the vehicle parts industry, an industry that extends across all of Europe. The modeling results suggest that the main forces of agglomeration in the European auto supplier sector are (1) highway access (connecting supplier plants as well as suppliers and their downstream customers, the assembly plants), (2) the desire to locate near assembly plants, (3) as well as near other parts producing plants.