Automotive Engineering - December 2022 - 19

COVER STORY
" What you see in this
program is impacting
our technical direction
in many others. "
Right Hand Floor Casting
Right Hand Front Wheelhouse Casting
Left Hand Floor Casting
Right Hand Rear Wheelhouse Casting
Left Hand Rear Wheelhouse Casting
Left Hand Front Wheelhouse Casting
Six major aluminum sand castings
comprise Celestiq's underbody
structure. The right and left floor
pan castings are welded together
then precision machined. Look for
this configuration to evolve to a
single casting in future.
We just want to tell them how much [a feature will
cost] and how long [until it is available]. "
Celestiq's development team was hand-picked by
Roma in combination with management nominating the
right people. " A unique program like this takes a certain
mindset, " he asserted. " There is a lot of hand-to-hand
combat on a daily basis " to execute two units per day
within a huge, volume-focused organization. " We build
prototypes faster than that, " Roma chuckled.
A Celestiq engineer is " somebody who is going to
provide the answer even if it seems crazy, " Loveday
added. He encourages a high level of communication
within the engineering team. " We don't want folks who
aren't enjoying it, " he said. " But like Corvette, the engineers
on this program really are excited to be part of it. "
The vehicle's unique build plan includes aspects
that remind Loveday of EV1. " We have a similar [plant
floor] layout with eight main stations in a general
assembly where operators have hours of contact instead
of seconds, " he explained. " It's not a moving
assembly line. But where it differs is we're doing this
ground up, in a brand-new facility, rather than using
any in-plant carryover. "
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
Added Roma: " With Celestiq, we've challenged how we do things
in every corner of the process - the way we purchase parts, how we
engage with supplier quality, and the way we've engaged with manufacturing.
We're not fitting any aspect of this into existing processes.
Every step of the way has been to take what we do that's good and
make the 'GM machine' work for us. Our leaders have stood behind
us every step of the way. "
That approach has meant using automation discretely where it impacts
quality, such as setting glass. Mostly, the Celestiq shop floor activity
involves humans picking up parts and using hand tools, Roma noted.
Extensive benchmarking included getting intimate with the competitive
set. GM purchased a new 2022 Rolls-Royce Ghost, which followed
a 2021 Bentley Flying Spur. " We wanted to thoroughly understand
what it takes to play in this space and what's expected there, "
Roma said. He spent time in Europe talking with suppliers that serve
the elite OEMs, learning how they and their customers operate.
" As we benchmarked, we got a feeling that it's really the same
game we play at volume, only at a higher level. They still worry about
complexity. They still worry about proliferation, " he explained. " It's
just that they allow more of it because they're charging for more of it.
It's a different business case. "
Valuable insights were gained during a visit to Multimatic by Roma
and Rhonda Uhl, Celestiq's global manufacturing chief. The Canadian
December 2022 19
CADILLAC
Automotive Engineering - December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive Engineering - December 2022
