Jay Baron , Director, Manufacturing Systems, Center for Automotive Research, ERIM and Patrick Hammett , Manager, Manufacturing Systems, Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation, University of Michigan Worldwide competition and over-capacity in the automotive sector have companies scrambling to introduce new products to attract customers, and seeking new manufacturing tools to control cost and quality. Manufacturers have adopted a blend of new strategies and technologies along with good old-fashioned attention to detail to cope with the apparent conflict between frequent product innovation and maufacturing effectiveness. Flexibility strategies are deployed to accelerate product launch and leverage capital equipment across multiple product lines. New products have been introduced that maximize differentiation in the marketplace while minimizing the impact on the plant floor. Lean manufacturing fundamentals are still key to reducing factory waste.
Communication also plays a critical role, particularly during new process launch.
Conference panelists will present examples of many of these strategies and technologies, and speak firsthand about their results. Back to top. During the past 50 years the U.S. gross domestic product has quintupled, yet during the same period tangible assets have grown only slightly. Information, concepts, and ideas have replaced physical resources in the production of goods and services. Today, value is created in organizations in new ways, representing a fundamental value shift from tangible to intangible assets.