Innovation on the Line: gm manufacturing Milestones
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Innovation on the Line: GM Manufacturing Milestones Many of General Motors’ most important innovations have occurred behind the scenes, in its manufacturing facilities. Concepts such as changeover, flexible assembly, automation, computer simulation, machine vision and robotics were developed at GM. Over the decades these innovations have helped enable improvements in vehicle quality, efficiency and competitiveness. 1901: Ransom Olds’ famous Curved Dash Oldsmobile, designed with simplicity, reliability and value in mind, was the first American car built in a factory designed specifically for automobiles and in standardized volume production. GM acquired Oldsmobile in 1908. 1908: Cadillac wins the Dewar Trophy, Europe’s most prestigious award for precision and excellence in manufacturing, by demonstrating the auto industry’s highest standards for precision and interchangeability of parts by disassembling three Cadillacs and mixing the parts randomly before reassembling and driving them before a contingent of judges. 1922: GM hires William Knudsen to lead Chevrolet’s turnaround. Knudsen implements flexible mass production, which helps Chevrolet incorporate annual styling changes and take market share from Ford. 1923: To provide Chevrolets to customers in Scandinavia, GM opens its first assembly plant outside North America, in Copenhagen, Denmark. 1924: Duco, a new, durable and quick-drying paint developed by GM and DuPont, is introduced, giving customers a wider array of color choices and cost savings for GM. By 1926, Chevrolet used it on all of its cars, a competitive advantage over Ford. 1926: Buick’s “unified assembly line” opens in Flint, Mich. It was hailed as the largest and most efficient car assembly system in the world and brought all final vehicle assembly into one factory. 1928: GM opens the Sao Caetano do Sul plant in Brazil, as well as India’s first automobile assembly plant. Chevrolet switches from a four- to a six-cylinder engine in just three weeks thanks to sequence lines, the forerunner to conveyors. 1936: GM Fisher Body introduces the Unisteel Turret Top Body, formed by welding the steel inner and outer panels into a permanent, shock-resistant structure designed for greater comfort and durability. 1953: Buick opens a new V-8 engine plant in Flint, Mich., featuring the “world’s most modern engine assembly line.” Two, 600-foot-long lines turn out 1,200 engines a day. 1961: The world’s first industrial robot is used at GM’s Ternstedt components plant in Trenton, N.J. The Unimate’s 4,000-pound arm positions extremely hot diecast metal parts into cooling pools. 1969: The world’s first programmable logic controller (PLC) application occurs at the Hydra-Matic Transmission plant in Ypsilanti, Mich. This digital controller was used to automotive machinery on assembly lines, replacing the labor-intensive use of relays. 1966: Lordstown (Ohio) Assembly opens, and is touted as the most automated automotive plant in the world. 1971: GM engineers develop a pneumatic tool control system at the Fairfax (Kansas) Assembly plant. The computer-based device guarantees the correct torque value is applied to 30 critical fastened joints on Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac sedans. 1976: The world’s first automotive laser welding application occurs at GM’s Moraine (Ohio) plant. It uses two, 1.25-kW CO2 lasers to join valve assemblies for emission control systems. 1977: SIGHT-I, the first industrial computer vision system on a U.S. automotive production line, is installed at the Delco Electronics Division plant in Kokomo, Ind. 1978: The world’s first programmable universal machine for assembly (PUMA) robot is used at GM’s Rochester Products division. 1980: GM unveils a standardized computer language called Manufacturing Automation Protocol (MAP) to communicate with PLCs, robots, conveyors and other plant-floor equipment. Within two years GM Truck and Bus in Pontiac, Mich. truck begins installing MAP. The result is better control over the manufacturing process because proprietary data systems are eliminated. 1982: GM launches a major campaign to increase productivity through automation. GM forms a joint venture with FANUC Ltd. to create GMFanuc Robotics Corp. 1983: GM’s Orion Township, Mich., assembly plant opens. It features 22 unmanned forklift trucks that follow wires buried in the floor and bring parts to the assembly line. GM embarks on the innovative Buick City experiment in nearby Flint. The $300-million project transforms one of the oldest automotive assembly plants in the world into a state-of-the-art, lean manufacturing facility that opened in 1985. 1985: The Detroit-Hamtramck plant opens and begins assembling Buick, Cadillac and Oldsmobile sedans. It features 2,000 programmable devices, including 260 robots. 1995: Annual vehicle sales outside North America exceed 3 million units for the first time. GM establishes a joint venture in China with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. The Synchronous Math-Based Process is launched to digitally design vehicles, components and production processes. 1996: GM’s Global Manufacturing System (GMS) debuts. Flexible layouts and production processes are designed around providing support for operators and teams on the plant floor so that all manufacturing facilities globally can build high-quality vehicles at a competitive cost. Expanded to non-manufacturing operations in 2003. 1999: GM’s parts-making operations become Delphi Corp. 2002: The flexible Lansing Grand River factory opens. It is GM’s first plant built in the 21st century and is located on the site of the original, 100-year-old Oldsmobile complex. A new assembly technology called C-Flex is unveiled. The programmable body shop tooling system replaces body style-specific tooling. It allows multiple body panels to be robotically welded with the same set of programmable tools and robots. 2005: GM operates three of the top five vehicle assembly plants in the annual Harbour Report. The Oshawa, Ontario, plant is ranked the most productive plant in North America. 2006: GM’s newest assembly plant, Lansing Delta Township, opens. It is GM’s fastest-built assembly complex. It also is the first manufacturing facility to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. # # #
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