Automotive News Europe - January 19, 2009 - 16

PAGE 16 · www.autonewseurope.com January 19, 2009 Inside Ford’s Cologne plant The Love Factory campaign is part of a wider Fiesta marketing drive. Pictured is the in-line vehicle sequencing tower at Ford’s Cologne plant, where the Love Factory images can be seen from the air. Ford’s Cologne factory stays one step ahead In a high-cost country, Ford workers know they must be doubly efficient to ensure their plant’s survival John Revill Automotive News Europe COLOGNE Welcome to the Love Factory. That’s the name Ford of Europe has given to its factory in Cologne, Germany, after claiming workers were in love with the latest Fiesta to be built here. The site, next to the Rhine River, was transformed with colorful paint as part of the marketing blitz for the small-segment car, which was launched in the middle of last year. But beneath the fancy painting and marketing hype, a lot of work and money has gone into making Cologne one of the most efficient car factories in Europe. It has to be – to make a small car profitably in a high-cost country such as Germany, a factory has to be very cost effective. Cologne is one of the most efficient factories in Europe, according to a confidential Harbour Report, which analyzes automotive factory efficiency for the industry only. That report, published in the German magazine Capital, said it takes 12 hours to produce each Fiesta small car, second only to the 11.3 hours that it takes Nissan workers to produce the Micra minicar in Sunderland, England. Cologne fast facts Vehicle assembly staff: 4,000 Shifts: 3 Models: 3 (Fiesta 3- and 5-door, Fusion, Fiesta van) Founded: 1931 Production: 1,830 units per day Capacity 2008: 390,000 Capacity 2009: 410,000 Award from the Technical University of Berlin. Anton said: “We can be very proud that we are three times more efficient than a factory in eastern Europe, but our wages are more. “If we stopped, the others would catch up with us. So we have to keep improving and making efficiencies all of the time.” The big change came in 2000 when there was a total overhaul of the factory. This saw increased automation and the establishment of a supplier park 800 meters from final assembly, as well as the adoption of lean techniques. These improvements were further refined when ¤455 million was spent preparing the factory for the new Fiesta. Steps include: Extra training for staff Building prototypes on the line Production engineers working on the cars on the line to reduce complexity of parts and processes Tapping into the collective knowledge of the work force. In some cases low-tech solutions have reduced the need for high-tech machinery. A so-called “happy chair” has been invented to allow workers on the final trim line to get quick and easy access to the inside of the cars to in“If we stopped, the others stall control panels would catch up with us. So and other compowe have to keep improving.” nents. “If you increase auKarl Anton, tomation, if you are Ford Cologne plant manager building more than 1,000 cars a day over time you need to factor in stoppages, that reduces your 411,000 with a little more than 4,000 line speed,” said Anton. employees in 2007. Because of innovations like this, There is constant pressure to imthe Cologne factory has been able to prove – which helps to keep the facincrease its output without increas- tory operating in the face of ever-ining its staff numbers. creasing cost pressures. Output has risen from 257,000 Said Anton: “We have to keep imunits in 2002, when 5,196 employees proving to make sure we get this Fiworked at the plant to more than esta and the Fiesta after this.” ANE Fiesta production losses kept to a minimum during switchover John Revill Automotive News Europe A team of 70 engineers spent their weekends getting the Ford factory in Cologne ready for the new Fiesta. “When other people were having coffee and cakes with their mothersin-law, we were at the factory,” said Karl Anton, operations manager here. Volume production of the small car began in August, but preparations began in late December 2006. With the factory working a threeshift system from 6:45 a.m. on Monday morning until 6:45 a.m. on Saturday, weekends were the only free time to prepare for the new Fiesta. “Normally you lose quite a few cars when you have a traditional ramp up, but we didn’t want to do that,” Anton told Automotive News Europe. “Sometimes manufacturers have two production lines going at the same time and then switch from one to the other, but we haven’t got the space to do that,” Anton said. “We have to be more creative.” On each Saturday, the production line was handed over to suppliers to look at the changes they needed to make to the parts they supply. “On the first day the car looked terrible, but we dismantled it and had another go again,” said Anton. “Eventually it got better.” Three months before full production began, a new Fiesta was integrated into the normal production line to enable production line workers to get to know the new model. Product engineers also got to work on the car in final assembly, enabling them to spot opportunities for greater efficiencies. As a result, very little Fiesta production – fewer than 600 units – was lost when full production began on August 14. Said Anton: “The current car is more profitable than the previous Fiesta – partly because of the pricing in the market, but also because of some of the ANE efficiencies we have made.” Engineers on the line Ford’s own engineers also would spend 14 hours building the new equipment and testing the line. On Sunday afternoon, the line was switched back to the old Fiesta ready for Monday morning. Cologne plant employees received a total of about 50,000 hours of training. Some of the training was done off the line on a static car. Major changes Ford declined to confirm Harbour’s findings, but Karl Anton, the Cologne plant operations manager, said production of the new Fiesta is more efficient than its predecessor. The factory was recently honored with a Manufacturing Excellence Ford Cologne factory workers are among the most efficient in Europe.

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Automotive News Europe - January 19, 2009

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