Life Inside a Ford Factory
Last week, Cars.com staffers toured Ford's Chicago Assembly Plant and saw how cars are assembled there. The factory opened in 1924, and its resume includes icons like the Model T, Fairlane 500 and LTD. Today it makes the new Taurus, as well as the Taurus X and Mercury Sable. Lincoln’s recently unveiled MKS is on its way, with a few prototypes already being worked on there. Donning reflective vests, plastic eyewear and tool belts — OK, no tool belts — we walked the assembly lines with quality manager John Siffer and about a dozen other supervisors and workers.
Once inside, the most striking thing was how distant the ceiling seemed. The sheer volume of steel framework above obscured any perception of a roof, at least anywhere nearby: Think of the overhead piping at a Costco warehouse, then multiply that by 10. At ground level, the high-pitched whine of mechanized tools intertwined with the clank of wheels falling and the pop, hiss and spark of welding robots. No matter what, the assembly line must keep moving, whether on ceiling-mounted rails or tracks dug into the floor. These tracks crossed our path in several spots, and we had to pause to let half-built cars mosey by. It was a lot like a cattle crossing.
Some areas were loud enough to require shouting, but in other places the noise fell to a mid-pitched rhythm. Temperatures were equally localized. In some areas it was quite warm — even with the temperature outside hovering near 30 degrees. How hot does it get in there on a 90-degree summer day? It’s pretty bad, Siffer deadpanned.
The plant employs more than 2,100 people and assembles close to 1,000 cars a day. With two shifts working eight hours each, a car leaves the assembly line every 58 seconds, plant manager Anthony Hoskins said. Most components come pre-assembled, leaving it up to workers and robots to put them all together. The cars take shape early on, and it’s easy enough to tell the difference in the framework between a Sable and a Taurus X. Jobs along the line run the gamut from snapping fenders on to installing entire engines. Whatever the task, a line worker has less than a minute to finish before the car is whisked to its next station.
What happens if a job runs amiss? Siffer pointed to a rope hanging beside each station that a worker can tug to stop the assembly line. It only stops the line in that area, he explained, so the guys mounting the wheels don’t have to pause because someone across the factory installed a radio upside-down. (I didn’t ask what happens if a worker stops the line too many times during a shift, but I presume you wouldn’t want to be in his shoes. Especially if you had installed a radio upside-down.)
Even the robots can detect errors and report them to the end of the line. We didn’t get up close to them; their mechanized arms spewed more sparks than a Michael Bay movie, and we were relegated to a color-coded visitor’s route at least 20 yards away. But it goes to show just how seamless a factory must be. With forklifts and workers crossing paths with large hunks of moving metal, the coordination that’s necessary there isn’t unlike that of a well-signaled city block.
Hoskins says it takes some 12 hours to assemble each car at the Chicago factory. Capping off the assembly is a routine dubbed the “Squeak/Rattle Test.” Stay tuned, and we’ll tell you more about that in our next post.
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No wonder Ford is having problems. Why Ford still has this 83-year-old plant open is a mystery. It just doesn't compute. While the assembly line may be modern, the physical building probably requires hourly/daily maintenance. Anything old requires repairs. Lots and lots of repairs.
What also doesn't compute is Ford's disregard for the well-being of their employees. A sweating, hot employee is not going to function well on the job. A freezing, cold employee is not going to function well on the job, too. Shame on Ford.
Health care costs at this plant must be high. Assembly line work is stressful enough, without the added burdens of being too hot or too cold.
From Wikipedia:
Ford spent $400,000,000 in 2004 to modernize the plant. It switched to production of the D3 platform vehicles for 2005 as nine automotive suppliers have built factories nearby. Ford's Chicago plant is a center for flexible just-in-time production and has repeatedly been cited as the most efficient automobile factory in North America.
Apparently this plant is efficient but I still question why, after spending $400,000,000, one Ford employee should have to endure an unpleasant working environment? Happy employees are more productive.
I'm sure upper management at this plant has a very pleasant working environment.
It would be nice to see air-conditioners arriving at the plant JUST-IN-TIME on a hot summer day.
It's very difficult to control climates in massive buildings. If you've worked in any office building I'm sure you've run into this, now imagine that in a much larger room with much taller ceilings. The heating/air conditioning in buildings the size we are speaking of take hours and hours to calibrate, maintain and start on a day to day basis which leads to some days being too cold and some days being too hot.
That being said, the lengths people go to in vocalizing their grudge against domestic automobile makers is hilarious.
Carry on : )
Doug G,
I guess you're implying I'm full of hot air.
Granted, factories are not small rooms, but it's in Ford's best interest to keep the plant's temperature at a comfortable level. As I previously said, happy employees are more productive.
Surely a tech-savy country such as ours can develop the technology to improve heating and air-conditioning systems in large plants. No one should have to work in a building that's 50 degrees or 95 degrees.
The work environment is an important issue. Many buildings, large and small, have toxic air which can seriously affect one's health.
Ford is actually my favorite car company, although I was very displeased with their decision to kill the Ranger.
I'm sure you think the world, and the car business, is in great shape. Keep laughing!
I'm guessing the heat is coming from the processes themselves on the line and not the controlled thermostat for the building. perhaps kelsey could explain better but there's certainly not enough to go on from his one mention of it to say its bad working conditions.
I would guess the working conditions at the Ford plant are not too extreme. We do live in a tech-savvy world, so a smart engineer could probably solve the problem, if there is a problem.
I work in a brand new office buiding and depending where your office is in relation to the server room, windows (sun), etc., it is either too hot, or too cold. You just dress appropriatley and get over it. I am sure this is not the only plant in the world that has this issue.
Here's my take. each worker has 58 seconds to do his job. What happens if he/she sneezes, has to "potty" , cough or anything else for that matter? That's precious seconds of concentration lost. I hope they're not building my car during that time.
2 8 hour shifts.... I would add a 3rd 8 hour shift. Why? You could employ a 3rd more people and actually dedicate a little more time towards assembly. Yes, it would cost more but, in the long run the factory would have less stressed employees and better quality cars.
Troy,
Well-said! With 58-seconds, you better wear Depends.
Very few people care about factory workers. CEOs get a million dollar bonus here and a million dollar bonus there. Sure! Yeah!
Home Depot's CEO is now at Chrysler. Give me a break. He walked away from Home Depot with a 9-figure package. He got shafted. A billion dollars would be a reasonable sum.
Factory workers get the short end of the stick. 'Take This Job and Shove It.'
1.Hot? We're sorry!
2. Cold? We're sorry!
3. 58 seconds? We're sorry!
4 Foreclosed homes? We're sorry!
5. $15,000,000 12-bedroom, 20-bathrooms, 10-fireplaces, 20-car garage, Detroit Home? We're not sorry!
Whoa is me, whoa is me. Last time I checked no one had a gun to the heads of these factory workers. If you don't like it, get a DIFFERENT job!
As Sulli posted and the Eagles sing, "GET OVER IT!"
All i have to say if when your #1 focus is on efficiency and speed, then you cant prioritize on quality at the same time, something has to give, that is where the problem lies right now. That is amazing how efficient they are and I commend that, but when the quality is still not on par with other manufacturers, efficiency and speed might be compromised a tad bit? Just my 2 cents...
XMR,
Where else are these factory workers gonna work? Last I checked, there weren't alot of cushy job openings in Detroit. The factory knows this. That's why they get away with it. The number one resource of any company is the people. Take care of the people and they will take care of you.
Does anyone here has ever worked in a factory? As Sulli says, get over it.
Per Olaf,
It appears to be a problem. Instead of turning a blind eye, maybe it should be addressed. Problems don't go away on their own. Of course, we don't live in a perfect world.
Most Manufacturing plants maintain the environment for the product, that said there are controls that can be put in place such as clean rooms in chip factories, but then you have to put on Tyvek suits cover your head, beard etc. - the room is well controlled, have you ever put that getup on and tried to work? I have. it's manufacturing not a day at the spa.