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Automation of ford factory.


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I am a visual artist in Detroit. 

I am making a presentation for a museum in Germany about the future of work in an age of automation. 

I want to include your ideas and thoughts as people who work for Ford on this topic. It is such an important subject about the future of our lives when our labor is increasingly not needed in the work place. 

I would like to be able to include what you discuss here on this forum in the presentation, so I would need your permission for this. I will not use any of your words in the work with out your full permission. 

I know that anything we say here, Ford sees - is there away around this?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts. 

Danielle 

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Automation/technology increase productivity.Ford Motor operates in an extremely competitive environment.How could Ford keep up with its rivals without at least matching their gains made in productivity?Automation/technology also increases quality.If you looked at a Toyota or Ford manufactured in the USA and compared them with a BMW manufactured in Germany.When it comes to fit and finish there is not much difference.That is how advanced manufacturing has become with the help of automation/technology.In the late 70`s the USA automobile industry underwent a massive retooling.The USA current unemployment numbers are low.I don't think automation equals fewer jobs just different jobs.The momentum is all forward with things like electric vehicles,5G,self-driving vehicles.Automation and computers will always require support staff.The plant I work at is including production workers as techs and leaders as part of that support staff.Have a Great Day!

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I agree with Fatso, automation and technology is the means of reaching higher productivity or through put and of course that is what any company needs to fill demand and generate profit.

With spending a life time in one facility, for one company I`ve witnessed the dreams of a company for the race towards the profit carrot. I`ve experienced the fears of being automated out of employment. With both the dreams and the fears neither were given a lot of thought for the long term. The company saw a large amount of money laid out as a sure bet for greater profits with automation and shipping production to areas of lower cost for labor and over head. The bet showed promise for a period of time. The fears of loss of employment were realized and the side effects from this fear added an element to the bet the company didn`t really count on or possibly didn`t want to see.

For years automation and the move in production caused unemployment for the two main groups in the company. (hourly & salary) The company started to see the profit drop and kept betting on automation and the moves of production. To make a long story short, the company has somewhat figured out that the bet needed one thing that just isn`t in the other area`s of production or the elimination of customers through automation. Profit can only be had when money exchanges hands. The company`s founder realized this and he made the money exchange hands from the founder to the employees. This simple business move generated profits for the company, employment for the customer and the economy in general showed the benefits of money changing hands.

Keeping your customer base employed will generate profit. The company understands the need for productivity, through put or units per hour so automation is and will be a necessity. But the fears have been lessoned by the fact that those profit carrots are not realized by automation or foreign facilities. The world may be considered the market place and there are hands exchanging money out there but, the facts are no other spot in the world is there a consumers market like right here, where the companies started. What is the average automobiles per household here? The number of cell phone per family unit here? Computers? TV`s? Trips to Starbucks? All this and yes carrots too because money exchanges hands.

Automation has been installed in my facility at a level completely undreamed of when I first walked through the gate and when I first walk through the gate our employee/customer total numbers were just over 1600. Now as Fatso explained at his facility, we here at CAP will see close to 6000 employees yes potential customers in a very short time.

Danielle, with all the advanced technology in Germany and the level of automation they have in manufacturing don`t you think their society has shown there isn`t a large fear of loss of labor?  VW, Mercedes and other manufacturers are constantly moving laborers into new fields of employment, to keep their customer base exchanging money.  I could touch on how these German companies fight to retain employee`s/customers with benefits and hourly rates but that's another issue our US based companies are just now starting to understand with our labor shortage here.

Good luck

Edited by Decker
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Automation can result in better quality and consistency IF applied / tooled up correctly.

It also helps to minimize or eliminate many bad ergo jobs and redundant tasks.

 

The flip side is when you are totally dependent on automation working and a sensor, prox switch , cable or laser goes down.

It needs maintained and people that can keep it up and running correctly.

 

Paint finishes is one part of quality where the trained human eye is hard to match or beat, IMHO.

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7 hours ago, cal50 said:

Automation can result in better quality and consistency IF applied / tooled up correctly.

It also helps to minimize or eliminate many bad ergo jobs and redundant tasks.

 

The flip side is when you are totally dependent on automation working and a sensor, prox switch , cable or laser goes down.

It needs maintained and people that can keep it up and running correctly.

 

Paint finishes is one part of quality where the trained human eye is hard to match or beat, IMHO.

You are correct.Vision is where us humans have a distinct advantage.How do we all know so much about manufacturing?

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