auto plants off topic
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,532
Likes: 29
From: northeast Ga
auto plants off topic
I had chance to go though the Vette plant in KY this summer and was very impressed.T o see how the cars are made and tested before delivery, is quite interesting.Also how the parts all come together,Its never that easy when I build a car or truck.Then last week I went through the BMW plant in SC.Well I am a fan of BMWS as I had a 98 & 99 Z3 and they where great cars.But I was not prepaired for for this plant it was so far advanced over the Vette plant .If you have a chance to see this place do not miss it.Every thing about it is amazing.They make 600 cars a day and the parts come in 4 hours ahead of the build.Each car has a transmitter that tells the robots what to do and what parts are needed.there are 24,000 employees working in a 240 million square foot building,I have seen subs built in Conn,,been all through the GE plant in Schenectady NY,The Harley factory in York PA,and nothing compares.I know this has nothing to do with our trucks but as motor heads you should see this plant,
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 27,288
Likes: 1,052
From: NM
Check out YouTube, too. There are a bunch of videos of highly automated European and American car factories.
Low production vehicles like the Vettes don't justify the huge investments in automation that a Hyundai or Toyota do. I'm sure Vette owners like to think their cars are hand-assembled, too.
Low production vehicles like the Vettes don't justify the huge investments in automation that a Hyundai or Toyota do. I'm sure Vette owners like to think their cars are hand-assembled, too.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,344
Likes: 11
From: I live in Leitchfield, KY
That place sounds really cool man. I watch a TV show called How It's Made, and I just love it. They tour different factories and show how everyday items are made.
On a side note, I live close to Bowling Greene, KY and have never been to the Vette factory, but I have a freind who is convinced that they made a small number (400) of steel bodied corvettes in '54. I keep tellin him he's NUTs, but he insists that he actually had one. He said that there's a sign in the Vette museum that mentions the steel bodied cars and gives a brief history. Anyone know anything of this or can I keep makin fun of him? I've done some net surfin on the subject and found out that they were goin to make 400 of them out of steel, but the fiberglass factory finally got their act together and came through.
Sorry for kind of hijackin the thread, but inquiring minds want to know?
On a side note, I live close to Bowling Greene, KY and have never been to the Vette factory, but I have a freind who is convinced that they made a small number (400) of steel bodied corvettes in '54. I keep tellin him he's NUTs, but he insists that he actually had one. He said that there's a sign in the Vette museum that mentions the steel bodied cars and gives a brief history. Anyone know anything of this or can I keep makin fun of him? I've done some net surfin on the subject and found out that they were goin to make 400 of them out of steel, but the fiberglass factory finally got their act together and came through.
Sorry for kind of hijackin the thread, but inquiring minds want to know?
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 758
Likes: 0
From: Alabama
I had chance to go though the Vette plant in KY this summer and was very impressed.T o see how the cars are made and tested before delivery, is quite interesting.Also how the parts all come together,Its never that easy when I build a car or truck.Then last week I went through the BMW plant in SC.Well I am a fan of BMWS as I had a 98 & 99 Z3 and they where great cars.But I was not prepaired for for this plant it was so far advanced over the Vette plant .If you have a chance to see this place do not miss it.Every thing about it is amazing.They make 600 cars a day and the parts come in 4 hours ahead of the build.Each car has a transmitter that tells the robots what to do and what parts are needed.there are 24,000 employees working in a 240 million square foot building,I have seen subs built in Conn,,been all through the GE plant in Schenectady NY,The Harley factory in York PA,and nothing compares.I know this has nothing to do with our trucks but as motor heads you should see this plant,
Ford Parts Specialist
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 88,826
Likes: 784
From: Simi Valley, CA
The Corvette was introduced in 1953, based on a GM Motorama "show car" from 1952 called the EX-122.
All 1953's were white, all had Power-Glide and a full pressure lubricated 235 cid I-6 engine with three 1V Carter carburetors.
My reference says the 1953 cars were virtually all hand made. Total production: 300.
The bodies were supplied (for many years) by The Molded Fiberglass Co. located in Ashtabula, OH.
1954 Corvette's were virtually the same as 1953's, except they were also available in red. 1954 production: 3,640.
The 1955 Corvette looked the same as the 1953/54. The same 6 cylinder engine was available, as was the new Small Block 265 cid V8.
Sales were so poor in 1955, that only 700 were produced.
GM was about ready to kill off the 'Vette, but when the 1955 Thunderbird was introduced, GM decided to keep producing the car for competitive reasons.
Info source: The Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975 / 4th Edition / krause.com / ISBN: 0-87349-461-X
All 1953's were white, all had Power-Glide and a full pressure lubricated 235 cid I-6 engine with three 1V Carter carburetors.
My reference says the 1953 cars were virtually all hand made. Total production: 300.
The bodies were supplied (for many years) by The Molded Fiberglass Co. located in Ashtabula, OH.
1954 Corvette's were virtually the same as 1953's, except they were also available in red. 1954 production: 3,640.
The 1955 Corvette looked the same as the 1953/54. The same 6 cylinder engine was available, as was the new Small Block 265 cid V8.
Sales were so poor in 1955, that only 700 were produced.
GM was about ready to kill off the 'Vette, but when the 1955 Thunderbird was introduced, GM decided to keep producing the car for competitive reasons.
Info source: The Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975 / 4th Edition / krause.com / ISBN: 0-87349-461-X
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Tuned
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 352
Likes: 5
From: Elizabethtown, Ky.
Lakotas53, I hope you are right about getting back up to full speed. I work for AGC automotive a glass manufacturing plant and we are pretty diverse but this slow down is hitting us pretty hard. We supply Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Mitsibishi, the "Big 3" and many others. But Honda and Toyota are our biggest buyers. If you look at the glass it will say AP Technoglass on the logo, you will know it is ours.
Also sorry for HiJacking.
Also sorry for HiJacking.
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Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 36
Likes: 0
From: Madison, MS
Lakotas53, I work at the Nissan plant in MS. We run similar numbers and have also scaled back due to slow sales. We produce 6 different models on two seperate lines. One line is down to 1 shift per day 4 days a week, the othere is three shifts per day 4 a week. Im in the "body" shop where automation assymbles the bodies before paint. Before working in a plant I had a completely different concept of how a car is built but now with the knowledge of robotics and automation its like night and day.
Ford Parts Specialist
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 88,826
Likes: 784
From: Simi Valley, CA
Lakotas53, I work at the Nissan plant in MS. We run similar numbers and have also scaled back due to slow sales. We produce 6 different models on two seperate lines. One line is down to 1 shift per day 4 days a week, the othere is three shifts per day 4 a week. Im in the "body" shop where automation assymbles the bodies before paint. Before working in a plant I had a completely different concept of how a car is built but now with the knowledge of robotics and automation its like night and day.
Canton MS: Titan, Armada.
Are QX56's assembled there? What else? Pathfinders, Xterras?
