Photo: Honda
Honda has released images from its latest factory, the Prachinburi plant in Thailand.
Normally, this would not be news, but the Japanese automaker has employed a new production concept there, which deserves our attention.
The new production concept is called ARC, short for Assembly Revolution Cell, and Honda claims it improves production efficiency. It works through a “flowing cell” layout, as Honda describes the concept.
Instead of the conventional mass-production concept for automobiles, pioneered by Henry Ford and enhanced by Japanese solutions, Honda's idea brings assembly technicians on the production line.
The Japanese concepts mentioned above are ideas like poka-yoke (mistake proofing), Jidoka (automation with a human touch), and Just-in-time (only the necessary parts ar built, and they are present only when required).
While conventional production solutions for cars involve a moving line with humans on the side to fit parts that robots cannot install, Honda's Assembly Revolution Cell is split into teams of four workers that climb aboard the moving unit and outfit several components on the vehicle.
Usually, one worker would have installed one or several components, but Honda's latest idea involves training assembly specialists to fit more parts. At first, it might seem that the employees are overburdened because of the extra tasks, but Honda explains that the new concept involves less movement, as they do not have to walk by the cars as the production line moves.
As in the manufacture concepts explained above, each unit features the specific parts that must be installed, without any extra or missing components. The idea of poka-yoke, or mistake-proofing, ensures that even an untrained operator could not mistakenly fit an item the wrong way.
Naturally, all assembly specialists are trained to an in-depth knowledge of the production processes and skills to ensure that everything is put together as designed from the first try.
The first Honda model to use the new system is the tenth-generation Civic. The latter will be made in a right-hand drive version for certain Asia-Pacific markets that require this configuration.
Normally, this would not be news, but the Japanese automaker has employed a new production concept there, which deserves our attention.
The new production concept is called ARC, short for Assembly Revolution Cell, and Honda claims it improves production efficiency. It works through a “flowing cell” layout, as Honda describes the concept.
Instead of the conventional mass-production concept for automobiles, pioneered by Henry Ford and enhanced by Japanese solutions, Honda's idea brings assembly technicians on the production line.
The Japanese concepts mentioned above are ideas like poka-yoke (mistake proofing), Jidoka (automation with a human touch), and Just-in-time (only the necessary parts ar built, and they are present only when required).
While conventional production solutions for cars involve a moving line with humans on the side to fit parts that robots cannot install, Honda's Assembly Revolution Cell is split into teams of four workers that climb aboard the moving unit and outfit several components on the vehicle.
Usually, one worker would have installed one or several components, but Honda's latest idea involves training assembly specialists to fit more parts. At first, it might seem that the employees are overburdened because of the extra tasks, but Honda explains that the new concept involves less movement, as they do not have to walk by the cars as the production line moves.
As in the manufacture concepts explained above, each unit features the specific parts that must be installed, without any extra or missing components. The idea of poka-yoke, or mistake-proofing, ensures that even an untrained operator could not mistakenly fit an item the wrong way.
Naturally, all assembly specialists are trained to an in-depth knowledge of the production processes and skills to ensure that everything is put together as designed from the first try.
The first Honda model to use the new system is the tenth-generation Civic. The latter will be made in a right-hand drive version for certain Asia-Pacific markets that require this configuration.
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