Ford Bronco - Michigan Truck Plant - Wayne (1994)
Construite en 1957, l'usine Ford de Wayne (Michigan) produit le Ford Bronco depuis 1966
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00:00Michigan truck plant. First in quality. First in pride. Building the best-selling
00:08vehicle in the world, the F-Series truck, along with the full-size Bronco, has been
00:13a long, hard journey. A journey involving a skilled workforce of 1,900 hourly and
00:23190 salaried employees working together to implement the systems. To meet the
00:29highest quality standards. With total customer satisfaction, the ultimate goal.
00:43Yes, it's been a long, but rewarding journey. For it's a very special vehicle
00:49that travels America's roadways bearing this emblem. Michigan truck plant. First
00:55in quality. First in pride. Back in 1957, on a road connecting Detroit and Chicago,
01:05a factory opened up on the edge of a small town. People came from miles around
01:11hoping to gain employment at the Michigan truck plant, located in Wayne,
01:15Michigan. At the time, its sole purpose was to build station wagon bodies for
01:20the Lincoln-Mercury division. By February of 1964, the plant was producing light
01:27and medium trucks, as well as parcel trucks. 17 units an hour rolled off the
01:32line with a workforce of 492 hourly and 132 salaried employees. From that time
01:39forward, the plant increased in size, workforce, and product diversity to
01:43include buses and the introduction of the 1966 Bronco. The fall of 1972 began
01:52production of the all-new 1973 F-Series and the all-new 1978 Bronco soon
01:58followed. January 11th, 1988 proved to be a monumental day, as the three millionth
02:06truck, an F-150 XLT Lariat, rolled off the assembly line. The special edition
02:12Silver Anniversary Bronco was built in 1991. In 1992, Michigan Truck was selected
02:19as the only location to build the new and exciting limited edition Lightning.
02:23And in April 1993, the Michigan truck plant team was awarded Ford Motor
02:29Company's coveted Q1 Quality Excellence Award. Today, Michigan Truck is the home
02:35of the Bronco and one of five plants in North America that build the best-selling
02:40vehicle in the world, the F-Series truck.
03:10♪ MUSIC ♪
03:41The people at Michigan Truck are proud of their plant's history and the products
03:47they build. Innovative manufacturing technology and dedication to continuous
03:53improvement are ways of life at Michigan Truck. The UAW-represented team is a key
03:59part of the system, working together with management, using every ounce of energy
04:04and skill to do whatever it takes to be the best. Joint meetings are held
04:10frequently to discuss items important to the success of the plant, including
04:15ergonomics, productivity, safety, and quality. Thirteen different quality
04:21subsystem teams identify and resolve concerns using warranty data, new vehicle
04:26quality studies, and other customer indicators. In addition to the subsystem
04:31teams, there are variability reduction teams, or VRTs. They meet daily to discuss
04:38quality issues and review statistical process control data. Every decision made
04:43by the various teams is based on data gathered from the plant floor each day.
04:49The process begins in the body shop, where the Bronco body, the F-Series cab,
04:54and the F-Series box are built up. The Bronco body and the F-Series cab join the
05:00main line and move along to the door hang area. As the cabs move through the
05:07body shop, the quality and integrity of the robot's performance is verified by
05:12the employees on the line. The welding is finished off manually in the wire weld
05:19area. In the metal finish loop, operators finesse, sand, and polish the surface of
05:27each vehicle in preparation for paint application. The F-Series boxes are built
05:32up and routed to their own metal finish line. Quality checkpoints are built into
05:37the system throughout every stage of the process. For example, here in the body
05:42shop, units are randomly selected on a daily basis and taken aside for a
05:47dimensional integrity check. Significant dimensional points are verified even at
05:52this early stage of production. Next, the cabs and boxes are sent to the paint
05:58department, where they are submerged in an e-coat bath, providing excellent rust
06:02protection for the entire unit, inside and out. After the bath, the units are
06:08baked and cooled. Body sealer is then applied to make sure each vehicle is
06:13watertight. Initially, sealer is applied by this robot, which was designed and
06:19installed by the Michigan Truck Plant Skilled Trains. A secondary sealer is
06:25manually applied and smoothed out at the sealer deck. The vehicle bodies, complete
06:33with fenders, hood, and other front-end structural components, are lifted by
06:37elevator and travel through this tunnel to Michigan Trucks' world-class paint
06:42facility. Here, primer is applied and computerized controls designate the
06:48proper enamel color for each vehicle in either a solid or two-tone base coat.
06:53The paint facility also provides the capability to apply a state-of-the-art
06:58clear coat finish. Michigan Truck employees were involved in advanced
07:02planning, design, installation, and subsequent facility prove-out, resulting
07:07in a total team effort to create world-class capability in the Michigan
07:12Truck paint operation. The final area of assembly has two starting points. The
07:19chassis portion of the build-up begins on the frame line. At the same time, the
07:24vehicle bodies are transferred from paint to the trim shop, where various
07:28components are installed on five individual lines. Employee input has
07:33shaped the design of a number of workstations in the trim shop, improving
07:37ergonomics and quality. For example, on trim line one, the vehicle goes down the
07:43line on this sidewinder, resulting in a more efficient build-up of front and
07:48rear components. Knee pits were put in, allowing operators to install lower
07:53exterior trim in a more ergonomically satisfying position. These knee pits were
07:58conceived and designed by the Michigan Truck Plant ergonomics team. On trim line
08:06three, the instrument panel is installed with the assistance of an articulating
08:10arm. This technology provides ergonomic relief to the operator and significant
08:15quality improvements at the same time. The vehicles continue to move through
08:20the trim shop, where various components are installed along the way. The Bronco
08:25roof is installed on trim line five.
08:30At the windshield deck, an operator prepares the windshield for installation.
08:40Then, a robot applies urethane sealer consistently and accurately. The
08:48operators then install the windshield into the vehicle. While the bodies have
08:54been moving through the trim shop, the chassis portion of the build-up has been
08:58taking place on the frame line. The frame starts out upside down to facilitate
09:04installation of the underbody components, such as the shocks, rear axle, driveshaft,
09:09and fuel tank, among others. The engine is built up on a separate line. This
09:16synchronous parts carrier on the engine line moves at the same speed as the line,
09:21carrying the operator and the parts, which are all within reach. As a result,
09:26the operator is given additional time to perform his required tasks, assuring that
09:31a quality job is sent to the next station. The engine is then sent via overhead conveyor to
09:38the frame line, where it is installed on the chassis, which has been turned right
09:42side up to facilitate the remainder of the production process. Upon completion of the
09:49frame build-up, the units are transferred to the final assembly line, where they meet
09:53the finished body at the body deck. Here, the vehicle is temporarily lifted off the
09:58moving assembly line to a stationary platform. After the body is accurately positioned on the
10:04chassis, the vehicle is returned to the line, where the finishing touches are put into place.
10:09The bumpers are aligned and secured. The seats are installed, and the vehicle heads
10:20toward the end of the assembly line for initial startup. After the vehicle is driven off the line,
10:26additional quality inspection and alignment procedures are performed. Dynamometer testing
10:33verifies transmission shifting, speedometer accuracy, emissions controls, and anti-lock
10:38brake function. The headlamps are properly aligned and aimed. There is also a five-minute
10:46water test to make sure there are no leaks in the vehicle body. And squeak and rattle
10:53testing is performed on randomly selected units in the Burke Porter room. Each morning,
11:00at 9 a.m. sharp, several units are randomly selected and audited for overall quality. The
11:06plant manager, plant chairman, assistant plant manager, area managers, superintendents,
11:12and production managers all join in the quality process. The vehicle is then given final quality
11:20approval and shipped to our customer. Yes, it has been a long journey, a journey that won't soon be
11:31forgotten. You see, at Michigan Truck, we not only believe in continuous improvement, we live it.
11:42Our goal is to be the highest quality producer of trucks in the world. That's what we mean when
11:49we say the best never rests. Michigan Truck Plant, first in quality, first in pride. Commitment would
11:58have to be the word to get quality. You've got to have a commitment from both sides, union and
12:02management. And it's got to be from top to bottom, and it works. Quality is very important to the
12:10plant here. Without quality here, we don't have jobs. It's very simple. Being number one in quality
12:16secures our future. If we are building the best truck, if it says that we have less things going
12:23wrong with our truck than any other truck in Ford Motor Company, it makes our plant number one.
12:27That's where we want to stay, amongst the plant. Our quality in the future, based on the plan that
12:33this management has and the union has, is going to take us far beyond Q1. Quality is job one at
12:40Michigan Truck, no doubt about it. I think it makes all of us here proud. You know, you want to go out
12:47there and say, hey, I built the best truck in the world. And if you get one order from my plant,
12:53because I know it's going to be okay.