Honda Rethinks Assembly Line with “Assembly Revolution Cell”

Honda introduced a new approach to mass production at its plant in Prachinburi, Thailand, where each worker is required to do jobs that would take five workers to perform at a conventional plant. The model will likely roll out at other Honda plants, according to a new report from Automotive News. Dubbed the “assembly revolution cell” (ARC), a team of four workers now follows the car down the assembly line instead of staying in one place. The automaker says the line is cheaper to install, requires less manpower, and operates more efficiently than a conventional production line.

Parts and people ride on a disc-shaped platform that carries them around the U, and once the platform passes from one end of the U to the other, the empty parts cartons are removed and workers hop off. They then walk back to the starting point to get on another disc so they can start on their next vehicle. Honda’s Thailand plant produces the Civic sedan, and the automaker decided to debut the new line there since it was the first one to open after the new assembly technology was ready. Introducing the new lines to North American Honda plants isn’t in the official plan yet, but the automaker may use the system when it opens a new one or expands an existing facility.

Honda says that the new production approach reduces unnecessary worker movement and boosts efficiency by 10 percent compared to the conventional production line. Unnecessary worker movement from line-side parts racks is also reduced while work on the vehicle is divided into quarters for the teams, with one worker responsible for a certain area of a car. The workload of handling and transporting parts is also reduced by 10 percent.

ARC lines, according to Honda, are cheaper to install since they don’t require digging pits in the factory floor or installing car-hanging machinery. Cells can also be added and subtracted to adjust the line’s length and configuration. With the new assembly method, workers perform more tasks as they move down the line with a car, thus eliminating the need for workers with one specific job on the assembly line. Honda, however, insists that the line’s purpose isn’t to cut workers and that it will offset the reduction in unique assembly jobs by hiring more in product development.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)

 

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