Nissan Redesigning Parts to Make Assembly Process More Efficient
October 30, 2004 | Levent OZLER
Creating less complex parts is one of several tactics Nissan Motor Co. is using to improve quality at its Canton plant.
The effort eliminates extra steps such as having to mold pieces into parts on the assembly line and could increase productivity, said Dan Gaudette, senior vice president of manufacturing and quality for Nissan North America.
Some parts are also being designed differently to make for easier assembly, Gaudette said Friday during a manufacturing update at the automaker's Tennessee plant.
The company is also using internal data to measure quality improvements and has met with suppliers to ensure parts they're assembling are up to par. In-house cross- functional teams in sales, marketing and manufacturing, for instance, have also been put in place to pinpoint other possible improvements.
The Quest minivan, Infiniti QX56 sport utility vehicle, Armada SUV, the Titan pickup and the Altima sedan are assembled at the Canton plant, which has been in operation for a little over a year. The Altima is also assembled in Smyrna.
"What you find is many manufacturers, as they learn more about their product, they realize that there are more efficient and higher quality ways to assemble vehicles," said George Peterson, an analyst with AutoPacific in Tustin, Calif. Some of these efficient ways call for suppliers to
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