[Theyota]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Can you upload the photos once again? None of the attachments are visible.

Sorry, here you go....

1. I can't think of reason why they used plastic foil for this? This cannot be cost cutting.



2. Using tape to repair a shelf? Add a new joint or scrap it and build a new one.



3. Loose cables and switches



4. Lazy technicians? Did not close panels properly after maintenance



5. Proper mats are important to avoid back pains where operators have to work in standing position for extended time. The mats used do not seem to be of the right type. Many positions do not have mats.



6. Clean this control cabinet once in a while.



7. These samples could be marked more professionally



8. Missing Strain Relief

[Theyota]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

The one thing that irks me the most and is applicable in all car manufacturing plants is non adherence to safety. Making helmets available for the visitors but not made mandatory for the employees. They already have the safety gloves, then why not the safety goggles or hard hats. Sorry being in Risk management, I am used to seeing risks every where.

Safety seems ok to me in the plant. The helmets are needed in the area where gantry cranes are moving around. If you see the press shop picture in the first page, you will see an operator wearing a helmet. That means, helmets are used where they are needed. The visitors got helmets because they visited all areas of the plant. In the assembly lines helmets are not needed, because generally speaking there is nothing hovering over the head and if there are some overhead conveyors, then they have a mezzanine below them. So it's no big deal. What they could do for assembly positions where the operators have to go in and out of the car chassis is to provide them with some hard hats (not helmets) instead of soft hats they are wearing now. But I don't see it as absolute necessity. I do not see any need for safety goggles at any of the positions in the pictures. I don't understand why you feel the need for them?

The most important thing when it comes to safety is to build an awareness or a culture of safety awareness among your employees. Too many visible safety "props" can be counter productive in safety and productivity.


Let's also list some good practices in this plant,

- The plant has air conditioning for shop floor, they did not try to save money (millions of dollars) on this unlike many manufacturers in this part of the world. It is needed for the comfort of operators. It helps in productivity.

- It looks like they have spent a hell lot of money to have sound insulation around press lines. This helps in reducing the noise in the factory, saving the ear drums of their employees. In our country where enforcement of law is lax, it is important for good companies to be proactive. I appreciate Maruti for taking care of this.

- The OP posted about water and energy saving figures in the plant. Although the figures don't mean anything to me as an outsider because they need to be evaluated in their plant's context to gauge the level of their achievement. . The fact that they have these KPIs and are encouraging their people to talk about them is a sign of progressive nature of the company.

[MaxTorque]

Good report mate. Happy to see a happening automobile plant. I think this is the first time Maruti is allowing media persons to their Manesar plant.

Originally Posted by Theyota

Safety seems ok to me in the plant. The helmets are needed in the area where gantry cranes are moving around. If you see the press shop picture in the first page, you will see an operator wearing a helmet.

Many companies have made it mandatory to wear helmet when a person working under a suspended load. Like fixing some fasteners under car body or mounting engine on the chassis. It mainly because the operator may get hurt while suddenly changing their position. Even those hangers may cause head injury.

I don't think the plant is not air conditioned, it may be just air supply unit. I really doubt Maruti (for that matter Japanese companies) will invest huge money for operator comfort.

Now I am just trying to find the reasoning (not justifications) behind some of the observations you made.

1. The reason behind using plastic sheet might be due to the easiness of changing it frequently. The mesh type screen is very difficult to clean and maintain. Also periodic changing of plastic sheets will give a nice look.

2. I don't think they have used the tapes to repair the shelf. They just want to eliminate the sharp corners. Such corners may create small dents on the panels. Obviously they could have executed more professionally.

3. This looks like a desi jugaad

4. I think the panel is closed and as it's a press shop, there will be lots of shocks and vibrations. The panels might have come out of the place.

5. Can not comment, as I am not aware of such mats.

6. Very valid points (The atmosphere may be too dirty or frequency of cleaning may be not adequate)

7. Does it actually make any difference?

8. This installation looks like an in house one. Does a strain guard really required when the cable is stationery?

I think every company follows their own standards, which they developed over a period of time. In my opinion those companies which are making mass market products are really not worried about these stuffs.

Just my opinions.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by Theyota

Sorry, here you go....

My God, you indeed have, not just an eye, but more like an entire surveillance system for detail.

Your observations are simply mind blowing and are supplemented by clear pictorial evidence.

Hats Off...!!!

I completely agree that it is these small things that make all the difference between an "OK" and a "Perfect" plant. In fact, after seeing what you have shown, I m beginning to think if this is even an "OK" plant if and when subjected to an auditor like yourself??

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by FlyingSpur

The Gurgaon facility is spread over 300 acres and contains two plants, one for vehicles (annual capacity 500,000 units) and another for engines (1.3 million units annually).

AFAIK Gurgaon facility has 2 vehicle plants (total capacity 500,000 units) in addition to the engine plant. One caters to the old products like Alto 800, EECO, Gypsy, Omni, Ritz, Wagon R etc. and other caters to Dzire Tour, Ertiga, S-cross, Vitara Brezza. I heard that there was a third vehicle plant as well, but that was closed long back for some reason.

Originally Posted by Theyota

2. Using tape to repair a shelf? Add a new joint or scrap it and build a new one.

This is kind of a standard practice in Indian manufacturing units. It is cheap solution to cover edges to prevent injury to operators or damage to parts.

4. Lazy technicians? Did not close panels properly after maintenance

It may be a design flaw. I remember my old almirah not closing fully whatever way I tried to close it.

5. Proper mats are important to avoid back pains where operators have to work in standing position for extended time. The mats used do not seem to be of the right type. Many positions do not have mats.

I have not seen any mats in the factories that I have visited; operators stand on firm surfaces. Can you please guide about them. It will be helpful if you could share some pic or link; will serve as good learning.

7. These samples could be marked more professionally

IMHO, every company has its own methods/ trainings for almost every process. So, till the time process is followed (and in this case the necessary information is communicated), I think it is OK.

Originally Posted by MaxTorque

I don't think the plant is not air conditioned, it may be just air supply unit. I really doubt Maruti (for that matter Japanese companies) will invest huge money for operator comfort.

In most factories, forced air ducts are present to ensure proper ventilation. Whatever I heard from my friends, the shop floors in Maruti have air conditioning. These ducts may serve that purpose as well. FlyingSpur can confirm this. If he went to this factory anytime between May to July, air-conditioning effect could have been easily felt.

2. I don't think they have used the tapes to repair the shelf. They just want to eliminate the sharp corners. Such corners may create small dents on the panels. Obviously they could have executed more professionally.
3. This looks like a desi jugaad

'Kaizen' is more polished word

In my opinion those companies which are making mass market products are really not worried about these stuffs.

I humbly disagree on this point. Based on my experience and interaction with senior people from some major companies, every stuff that could hamper safety or productivity is designed/ developed/ monitored/ maintained with extra caution. Some misses still may be found; therefore external audits are conducted to get a fresh look at things. That said, process of continuous improvements cannot be brushed aside.

[jetsetgo08]

Excellent. A very detailed pictorial representation. Most of us were longing to see our cars being assembled.

An astounding 5 lakh cars per year, yet there are huge waiting periods.

Now, we would also love to see MSIL with its in house crash test facility.

[ganesc]

Wow! that's some numbers there!

Originally Posted by FlyingSpur

Stage 1: The Press Shop

This process involves cutting and stamping metal sheets into the shape of body panels using heavy duty stamping machines and dies. 19 robots process 10,250 tons of steel per month to produce 213 different panels, producing a panel every 6 seconds. That adds up to 80,000 panels per day or 2 million panels per month! The operation sources 53% of its requirement of steel from domestic suppliers while the rest is imported.

Coils of raw material are received from suppliers, and they are cut and blanked into sheets of metal as per the requirement of different body panels:

Pardon the noob question but any idea if the import is for quantity or quality (Only to Export models)? while I do understand close to 50% production is not exported, the on-going discussions on safety difference between local and export models makes me ask this. I am just trying to understand where does the structural change start, either sheet metal or additional structures itself - Not specific to Maruti though. Time to revisit those threads again i guess.
Is it the same steel used across all models from say an Alto (or Swift in this plant) to Ciaz?

[Theyota]

The main reasons for importing steel are below,

- certain grades of steel are not made in India because of lack of technology or demand volume
- in some cases it could be cheaper to import from China

It is never because of different safety standards or any of that kind of reasons.

[FlyingSpur]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Do all the component parts fitted inside the car during the assembly line process belong to the vendors/suppliers only, or are any of them manufactured by the MS plant too?

Some are manufactured in the supplier park close to the assembly line and delivered just in time. I am unfortunately not aware of the component-wise split. I think it would be safe to assume that most of it would be manufactured outside and delivered to the line.

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Also, what kind of sprays do the robots conduct inside the Paint Shop? Do all cars get the mandatory 3-coat paint jobs? Did you notice any orange-peel effect on the car shades under lights, when they were being assembled?

Don't have the detail on it. I could only get really close to one car in the inspection bay (where I've clicked the Ciaz) and I couldn't really see the peel effect.

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Do you have details about capacity allocation, material handling and inventory management? I would love to know how they cope up with their challenging supply chain management. It looks like a product layout more than a process layout. Is there a dedicated shop floor for nexa products?

More of a process layout actually. Most of the components are delivered directly to the line and JIT as far as possible. Each of the three assembly lines at Manesar (the three 'plants') handle multiple models. Separate for Nexa, not that I know of. Didn't check.

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

One question: Even though we can calculate that a car is coming out at every 20 seconds, for a single car, how much time will it take to manufacture?

Every sixty seconds actually. You can sort of divide annual output by 340-345 days for a rough figure.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Are there different assembly lines for Ciaz, S Cross? Where are the engines tested? At Fiat factories?

Nope, there are three assembly lines and all of them handle a variety of cars. I believe the engines are tested at Manesar itself but don't hold me to it. I could check!

Originally Posted by AutoNoob

In most factories, forced air ducts are present to ensure proper ventilation. Whatever I heard from my friends, the shop floors in Maruti have air conditioning. These ducts may serve that purpose as well. FlyingSpur can confirm this. If he went to this factory anytime between May to July, air-conditioning effect could have been easily felt.

Plant was not AC and I've seen several plants in India, none are AC. We went in the first week of July and it was hot but not really on the line because of the ventilation ducts which deliver fresh air.

Originally Posted by ganesc

Pardon the noob question but any idea if the import is for quantity or quality (Only to Export models)?

Quantity constraints only as told to us by MSIL.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by FlyingSpur

Every sixty seconds actually. You can sort of divide annual output by 340-345 days for a rough figure.

Thanks. But let me clarify my question: If a unit is started from the press shop at 10AM today, when the complete product as a car will come out? 1 day? 2 days?

[Leoshashi]

Autoportal visits MSIL's plant. Here is a video of the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJrejEcEpHE

Regards,
Shashi