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bougie
Board Buddha
Joined: Nov 20, 2004
Posts: 13292
Location: Wuhan Hubei China
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  Posted:
June 02, 2007 - 06:22 AM |
 
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| Post subject: Canadian Auto Plants are Top performers |
Seems Canada Plants are performing well. Also the Auto industry in Canada is quite strong as opposed to the slump in the US.
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Two Oshawa operations win in annual rankings
Jun 01, 2007 04:30 AM
Tony Van Alphen
Business Reporter
The two General Motors car plants in Oshawa are the most productive vehicle assembly operations in North America despite facing big job losses and a construction overhaul, an industry report has revealed.
U.S.-based Harbour Consulting said in its annual report yesterday that the Number 2 car plant topped the annual ranking while the adjacent Number 1 operation finished second among more than 70 auto assembly facilities across the continent.
"Once again, the workers at General Motors here have proven that when given the investment, they can produce vehicles better than anyone in the western hemisphere," said Chris Buckley, president of Local 222 of the Canadian Auto Workers.
The Harbour study of auto productivity, which companies follow closely in the fiercely competitive vehicle industry, showed four of the top six assembly plants are in Ontario. Joining the two GM plants are the Honda complex in Alliston and the CAMI Automotive factory in Ingersoll.
In Oshawa, the study found the Number 2 plant required an average of 15.68 labour hours to assemble the Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick Allure and LaCrosse mid-size models in the past year. Meanwhile, the Number 1 plant required 16.34 hours to assemble the Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo mid-size models.
Both plants have been among the most productive assembly operations on the continent in recent years. Last year, the Number 2 plant finished second while the Number 1 operation, which topped the rankings in 2005, was seventh.
They are also among the leaders in North and South America in producing vehicles with the least amount of defects, according to J.D. Power and Associates.
GM, the country's biggest auto maker, will shut down the Number 1 plant at the end of this year and move Impala production to the neighbouring Number 2 operation. Construction projects have already started for a flexible manufacturing operation and consolidation of the two car operations at the site.
Buckley said it's "a darn shame" the car operations will lose more than 3,000 jobs after the transformation is complete.
In late 2008, the new operation will start producing unidentified mid-size cars and the Camaro sports car. The Number 2 plant will shut down in 2009.
CAMI, a joint venture between GM and Suzuki, had languished in productivity for years because of low demand but it jumped into fourth place in 2006. Productivity in assembling the Equinox, Torrent and XL7 models improved to an average 17.85 labour hours for each model.
Honda's Number 1 plant in Alliston, the study showed, required an average of 18.82 hours to make the Civic compact, the country's most popular car.
Greg Gardner, a Harbour market analyst, said productivity at Canadian assembly plants is generally strong, citing the fact some of them run on three shifts.
Results from other plants here showed DaimlerChrysler workers in Windsor needed an average of 21.95 labour hours to build each Caravan minivan while they posted 20.97 hours for the 300 Series and other full-size models at the Brampton operation.
It took 20.24 hours to make the Corolla compact and 22.37 hours to assemble the Matrix crossover utility vehicle at Toyota's complex in Cambridge.
Ford's plant in St. Thomas posted an average rate of 20.52 hours. The company's Oakville plant finished near the bottom of the productivity standings at 46.08 hours for each Edge and Lincoln MKX crossover vehicle, but Gardner noted the company was going through a slow launch last fall.
Harbour said in its report that Toyota led the six biggest auto makers in manufacturing including assembly, stamping, engine and transmission operations. Honda topped assembly productivity with an average rate of 21.13 hours.
The Harbour report found the gap among major auto makers in productivity continues to narrow. Furthermore, the correlation between quality and productivity is strengthening, the report said.
It also showed parent Ford Motor Co. lost an average of $5,234 (U.S.) on each vehicle before taxes last year in comparison to red ink of $50 in 2002. GM reduced its losses by almost half to $1,436 on each vehicle while DaimlerChrysler's red ink shot up to $1,072 on every model.
Nissan led the money makers with $1,575 in pre-tax profit per vehicle while Honda generated $1,368 on each model. |
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foreverinchina
PopStar
Joined: Nov 21, 2005
Posts: 1250
Location: 徐家汇
Status: Offline
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| Posted:
June 03, 2007 - 03:35 PM |
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Agree with you there is something wrong in Detroit.
But Canada... hmmmm Nice to read they are all working so hard.
But where did i heared this before ? It all sounds sooooooo familiar..
I'm afraid that the number of hours required to assemble a car is not a proper way to measure the efficiency, cost-effectiveness or profitability of a car plant.
Finally and after all, they'll all have to give it up and move to China.
GM would be near to dead without the Shanghai plant.
Ford Motor Company would be bankrupt without their Chongqing plant.
I'm sorry for bringing the Canadians back to earth so bluntly, they are great people. |
_________________
To govern a big country is like cooking a small fish.
Stir as little as possible.
- Lao Zi, Daode Jing 256 BC |
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bougie
Board Buddha
Joined: Nov 20, 2004
Posts: 13292
Location: Wuhan Hubei China
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June 03, 2007 - 08:04 PM |
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Of course the Big 3 (as they were once called) would die if not for low cost counties and emerging markets such as China and elsewhere. But companies such as Honda and Toyota and doing very well in Canada right now. Not to mention the GM plants in Ottawa, etc. North America, albeit a mature market is still a big pie with good size slices.
To be honest, I just hope they industry can keep it going for another 10-15 yrs, so I have no issues going back there eventually. 
I know, sounds a bit selfish don't it ? |
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foreverinchina
PopStar
Joined: Nov 21, 2005
Posts: 1250
Location: 徐家汇
Status: Offline
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June 03, 2007 - 09:17 PM |
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没关系。 I will help you to hope that not just Canada but also Europe, once the craddle of automotive industry, will be able to keep a keep a bit of the pie.
But when i see the increasing speed they are closing car assembly plants in EU, i'm afraid we will have to hurry.
In EU (and also from what i remember when i was in Ontario) it was lean-, lean-, and lean- from morning to evening in all the remaining plants.
Rarely the keywords were "new", "exciting" or "challenging"
How about the DC, BMW and Toyota plants in the deep south of the US ? Do you know how are they performing these days ? I have lost contact with all the people i knew there. |
_________________
To govern a big country is like cooking a small fish.
Stir as little as possible.
- Lao Zi, Daode Jing 256 BC |
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bougie
Board Buddha
Joined: Nov 20, 2004
Posts: 13292
Location: Wuhan Hubei China
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June 05, 2007 - 07:28 AM |
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I have no contacts in those southern states, but I think they are doing quite well. I need to check as that may be interesting semi retirements area ..
Yes plants are closing about as fast as new ones in LCC are poping up or expanding. There are still a few Tier1's (you know at least one, we both worked for them) that is still doing well but there are more struggles a coming.
Maybe we should switch to consumer products manufacturing like beer cans, toothbrushes or water bottles ?? |
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sillygal83
Talker
Joined: Dec 10, 2006
Posts: 110
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June 05, 2007 - 11:19 AM |
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Did they start to improve after you left Canada? Wouldnt your departure from China have a similar effect on the local car industry? Just wondering. |
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On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door |
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bougie
Board Buddha
Joined: Nov 20, 2004
Posts: 13292
Location: Wuhan Hubei China
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June 05, 2007 - 12:44 PM |
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Very good point silly gal. This could explain why I have been moving around and then looking back.
But I'd like to think I contribute slightly to where I'm at |
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bougie
Board Buddha
Joined: Nov 20, 2004
Posts: 13292
Location: Wuhan Hubei China
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June 05, 2007 - 08:51 PM |
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From the Toronto Sun. No link as you need some access passcode or something.
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Speculation is increasing that Toyota will build another auto-assembly plant at the company's massive site in Woodstock, but Toyota denies any expansion plans.
Although one source said yesterday Toyota Motor Manufacturing Co. Canada is already moving ahead with infrastructure for a second project there, the company stressed it has no plans for another operation.
"It's all news to me," said company spokesperson Adriaan Korstanje. "That information is not coming from Toyota."
Another source familiar with Toyota's plans said the company is dealing with numerous other issues, including model changes at another assembly plant in Cambridge, the current Woodstock project and just remaining competitive.
"There's a lot going on, and we're just trying to keep our head above water," the source noted. "And there won't be anything happening with the Canadian dollar at 94 cents (U.S.)."
Ray Tanguay, president of Toyota Canada, was in Japan on business and could not be reached for comment.
Sources close to the Woodstock project, however, say they have seen plans for a second operation that would open in 2011. The sources added that the booming auto giant will probably confirm the plans within the next few months.
A second facility adjacent to the existing plant would cost several hundred million dollars and create another 1,000 jobs.
Growth in the Woodstock area, about 140 kilometres southwest of Toronto, is exploding because of the economic benefits of the first plant and the numerous parts makers who will supply the operation. That $1.1 billion plant will employ about 2,000 workers who will start building RAV4 sport utility vehicles next year.
In addition to the other Toyota plant in nearby Cambridge, CAMI Automotive also assembles autos for General Motors and Suzuki in Ingersoll.
"Very strong indications are that Toyota is planning to announce the `twinning' of its new Woodstock plant within weeks," said Jim MacKinnon, business manager for the Labourers' International Union of North America Local 1059.
Fuelling the continuing speculation is the fact that Toyota is building the new Woodstock plant on a 400-hectare parcel, which is far bigger than most auto-assembly sites.
Another source familiar with Toyota's plans said the company has informed construction tradespeople that they will have enough work until 2011.
"They've told us to get ready, because there is so much work coming our way," said the source.
There is some speculation that Toyota will eventually move the popular Corolla compact and the Matrix crossover utility vehicle to the Woodstock site from Cambridge.
Toyota would then turn the Cambridge facility into an exclusively luxury Lexus plant, one source said. The Cambridge plant is the only operation in the world outside of Japan that builds Lexus vehicles.
Toyota, which surpassed GM as the world's biggest auto maker earlier this year, opened the company's sixth North American plant in San Antonio, Tex., in 2006 and announced construction of an eighth plant in Mississippi in February.
Toyota, which started production in Canada in Cambridge in 1989, has gradually expanded assembly operations and now builds about 250,000 vehicles annually there.
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FIC, looks as though Toyota at least is dioing well both in Canada and Southern |
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foreverinchina
PopStar
Joined: Nov 21, 2005
Posts: 1250
Location: 徐家汇
Status: Offline
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June 05, 2007 - 11:32 PM |
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Yeah, Toyota is doing well. Their no-nonsense straightforward policy is sooooooooo different from FMC and GM...
The Woodstock scenario for the new plant sounds somewhat similar to what they did in Birmingham and Valenciennes in the time before the plant extension/build new plant.
When will GM and FMC turn their chances ?
Will finally the US also loose its car-brands in the same way as the UK ?
That would be a pity. |
_________________
To govern a big country is like cooking a small fish.
Stir as little as possible.
- Lao Zi, Daode Jing 256 BC |
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bougie
Board Buddha
Joined: Nov 20, 2004
Posts: 13292
Location: Wuhan Hubei China
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| Posted:
June 08, 2007 - 07:18 AM |
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More news :
Doomed GM plant gets kudos for quality.
Oshawa operation slated to close in 2009 ranked second in the Americas
Jun 07, 2007 04:30 AM
Tony Van Alphen
Business Reporter
The General Motors Oshawa No. 2 plant, which will disappear in 2009, produces the second-highest quality vehicles in North and South America, according to a key industry report.
J.D. Power and Associates, one of the industry's leading research firms, said in its annual study of initial auto quality that the No. 2 car plant posted the second-fewest defects per model among 70 assembly operations in the western hemisphere.
The plant averaged only 42 problems per 100 Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Allure and LaCrosse models in the first 90 days of ownership.
Problems can range from a rattle, loose trim or paint blemish to more serious defects such as engine trouble and an electrical glitch.
Ford's plant in Wixom, Mich., which is also closing, topped the list with only 35 defects in the production of the Lincoln Town Car.
The strong performance by the Oshawa No. 2 plant follows two consecutive years where it led the J.D. Power rankings for initial quality in vehicle manufacturing.
Last week, the plant's bulging trophy case got another award when it captured top spot in the annual rankings of Harbour Consulting for productivity among North American assembly plants.
GM Canada president Arturo Elias said the recognition is indicative of employee dedication and the company's drive to continuous improvement.
"Our employees work hard every day to build the best quality cars for our customers," he said in a statement.
GM plans to shut down the No. 2 plant in 2009 and the adjacent No. 1 car facility at the end of this year, as part of a $740 million reconstruction project to turn the site into a flexible manufacturing operation.
The move will eliminate more than 3,000 jobs and slightly reduce production capacity.
The J.D. Power study is the industry benchmark for new vehicle quality in design and production. Results come from responses to a 228-question form by more than 97,000 purchasers of 2007 cars and trucks.
In addition to the Oshawa No. 2 plant, three other Canadian plants finished in J.D. Power's top-10 list. They include Toyota's plant in Cambridge, in fifth place, and GM's Oshawa No. 1 factory and Ford's St. Thomas operation, which tied for ninth.
Four other Canadian plants ended up with more than the industry average of 67 defects, including GM's Oshawa truck plant, DaimlerChrysler's minivan operation in Windsor and the CAMI Automotive factory in Ingersoll.
"Some manufacturing plants are doing a great job in Canada while others are not doing as well," said Fran Howard, senior auto research manager at J.D. Power.
However, Howard noted more than 60 per cent of new or redesigned models fall below the industry average in their first year of production as they iron out glitches.
Meanwhile, the Civic, which Honda assembles in Alliston, topped the compact car segment in lowest number of defects. The Ridgeline, which Honda makes in an adjacent operation, ranked second among mid-size trucks.
The Corolla, which Toyota assembles in Cambridge, finished second in quality among compacts while the luxury Lexus RX 350 at the same plant led the segment for multi-activity vehicles.
Among brands, luxury vehicle manufacturers Porsche and Lexus topped the rankings for the second consecutive year.
Mercedes-Benz made the biggest gain by jumping from 25th place in 2006 to fifth spot this year in initial quality, the study showed.
Ford moved from 15th to 10th place in the brands list while Kia jumped from 24th to 13th spot. Ford also led five segments, including top quality for sports cars, entry-level premium cars and mid-size models.
Chrysler fell from 11th to 27th spot among brands.
Other brands at the bottom of the rankings included Land Rover, Mazda, Hummer, Jeep, Volkswagen and Dodge
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OK same basic theme. Going to flexible manufacturing is definitely the way to go to try to keep up. |
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redsneef
Seeker
Joined: June 14, 2007
Posts: 63
Status: Offline
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| Posted:
June 19, 2007 - 03:14 AM |
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Those Japanese car companies have done wonders for the Canadian economy. I'm by no mean a fan of vehicles. I gave up my car as I see no need to drive a money draining ill advised investment. However, despite my personal thoughts on cars I have seen what a Honda or Toyota plant can do for a community. Alliston, Ontario is home to a Honda plant and the plant itself makes great investments into the community. I'm from Woodstock, Ontraio and the buzz about Toyota and Hino has brought lots of investment opportunities into a community that lost a giant factory recently(my father being a victim of this closure). I have seen some great improvements in the community and Toyota did buy one of the Mansion that is near the plant being built. I don't know how big the property is, per say, but they turned it into a Hospice for the community. The only downfall to the new plant is that they have bought up a large amount of farm land for it--however it was close to a dead mall which is no longer around.
I have seen a beautification to the city and some other community involvement from Toyota. I can't say the same for Oshawa or St. Thomas. Both towns have one of the 'big 3' plants. Oshawa is a dirty and discusting town. It's nickname is "the dirty 'shwa." People who 'escape' the town never admit to being from there. St. Thomas is the same. It's a run down town. Ford and GM are bad things for any city.
What does this have to do with Canadian auto plants being on top--absolutely nothing.....Anyone who works for a "big 3" has a lazy job in my opinion. They hide behind their 'union' and do more damage to the industry than the other manufacturers. I would never buy a Ford, GM or Dodge again--if I was to purchase a vehicle which will not be happening in my future for a very long time to come--because of the lazy employees. They are the reason we have so many breakdowns with those cars....
I digress |
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