Honda Motor has launched a new plant in central Thailand that is equipped with the world's first moving cell assembly line, dubbed the Assembly Revolution Cell Line. It is a hybrid of a conventional line production system and a cell-based manufacturing system that has proven as revolutionary as its name suggests. In it, each worker is responsible for multiple tasks.  

The plant sits in an industrial park in Prachin Buri Province, about 120km east of the capital. It has an annual production capacity of 120,000 units, accounting for over a quarter of Honda's Thai production capacity of 420,000 vehicles.

As a half-finished Civic sedan comes along the conveyor, a team of four assemblers steps onto the moving floor along with carts containing auto parts. In about 500 seconds, each of the four installs 10 to 20 parts.

In conventional line production, each worker has a few dozen seconds to attach a single part to a vehicle, which moves along from worker to worker.

Next to the moving ARC Line is an auto parts supply area. Parts collectors walk through the area and quickly pick up parts from the shelves according to computer-generated instructions. Each cart only contains the necessary parts for each worker's next assembly session. This keeps workers from attaching the wrong parts or leaving something out. Since all the parts are already prepared, the team spends little time looking for what each member needs.

The system not only prevents mistakes but also helps make workers more versatile as they are involved in a variety of tasks.

Credit and view full story at Nikkei