Problem:
DaimlerChrysler (now Chrysler LLC)'s plant that builds Viper and Prowler is the Motor City's "hottest ticket."
The Viper-Prowler plant is not your typical Detroit assembly operation. Instead of mass production techniques using robots, it's "craftsman-style" production for hand-building Vipers and Prowlers. With mass production, Chrysler can produce up to 75 cars per hour. With late shifts Chrysler's nearby Jefferson North Assy Plant can crank out 1,114 Jeep Grand Cherokees in a 24-hour workday. By comparison, the Viper plant produces 13 Vipers a day and has a capacity for 20 Prowlers.
At 392,000 sq feet, the Viper plan is a boutique compared to most massive auto plants, such as Saturn Corp's Spring Hill Tenn., manufacturing complex, which is 5 million square feet. The Jefferson North plant has 2.4 million square feet.
"We're not the biggest plant in the area, but we've got the best work force and build the mo9st exciting products-the Plymouth Prowler and the Dodge Viper," said Hinckley, who has spent 33 years working in various Detroit auto plants for General Motors and Chrysler and is know for building and driving "kit car" racers. "We're expanding our plant, too. We also are part of the revitalization of Detroit. Our plant was about 380,000 sq ft. and we've just added another 10,000 sq ft to improve our process flow and improve our quality. And it provides a little more space since we added the Prowler. It will allow us to do a better job of reaching the Prowler's ultimate capacity. It's about a $1 million expansion-for other large plants, that's nothing but for a facility this size it's a lot of money. For me it's a dream job.. I've been a ‘hot rodder' all my life and build race cars and racing engines, and how many hot rodders get to lead the team that runs the only hot-rod plant in the world?"
Conner Ave. is a throwback to early 20th Century, pre-mass assembly techniques. Vipers and Prowlers are built on parallel 720 foot assembly lines, each with a dozen or so workstations, where the cars are hand-assembled. In a rarity, there are no robots in this plant.
When each workstation completes its task, the entire line advances to the next station. So in those 45-minute stops, the employees are relatively free to grab a cup of coffee or talk to tour groups, something they could never do in a plant cranking out 73 units per hour.
The automaker's flexible labor agreement with UAW Local 212 means everybody working in the plant is a "craftsman" and can solve any problem anywhere on the line-in most plants, job categories are sharply defined and protected.
Most large auto assembly plants still require 2,000 or more workers, while the Viper plant needs only 260.
"We do everything from forklift driving to mopping and sweeping, we do it all," says Andrew Stokes, a UAW craftsman who works in underbody and heavy repair.
"I'm one of the first 12 to work on the Prowler," he added. "The Prowler is a little easier to assemble but a little harder to repair. The Viper seems to be a lot more open than the Prowler is-the car seems to be built around the engine and trans and that makes it a little harder to work on."
Thanks to such an interest from car buyers in this plant, Chrysler allows Viper customers to pick up their car as it comes out of final assembly, to meet the employees who built it and to drive it home from the plant instead of from the dealership.
Required:
Question 1) What is different about this assembly plant compared to more typical auto assembly plants?
Question 2) Why do you suppose there are no robots or other automation?
Provide thorough explanation of the given question.