1、 Sprout: Ford Motor's automotive assembly line production

In 1913, Ford Motor Company was the first to establish an assembly line system for automobiles, which sparked a groundbreaking revolution in the world's automobile manufacturing industry and promoted the scale of automobile production. Each task on Ford's assembly line has a workstation, which means hundreds of vehicles running through the factory can be produced simultaneously.

In Ford's original factory, the Ford T model was assembled in 93 minutes from start to finish. Actually, every three minutes, a complete car roll on/roll off is produced. This is the beginning and budding stage of the automobile production line, and at the same time, this stage makes cars no longer exclusive to the rich, and thousands of ordinary people can also afford to drive their own cars.

 2、 Innovation: Japan's Just In Time (JIT) Production System

In 1953, Naiichi Ohno, Vice President of Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan, combined the characteristics and advantages of one piece low and batch production, and created a high-quality and low consumption production method called Just In Time (JIT) under mixed production conditions of multiple varieties and small batches. Just In Time (JIT) production method, also known as stockless production, refers to the process of delivering necessary parts to the production line in the necessary quantity and at the necessary time, and only delivering the required parts, quantity, and time exactly when they are needed. So the starting point of just in time production system is to continuously eliminate waste, reduce inventory, and carry out continuous cyclic improvement.

The basic idea of JIT production method is to produce the required products in the required quantity only when needed, that is, to pursue a production system with no inventory or minimal inventory. The basic idea of JIT is production planning and control, as well as inventory management. So, JIT production mode is also known as "lean production".

3、 Development: Automated workshops and factories

After the 1950s, automated semi automated and automated assembly lines began to emerge, known as rigid automatic lines. Especially with the development of electronic computers and self-control technology, the automation of production processes has been greatly promoted.

In the 1960s, industrial production began to use electronic computers for optimal control of large equipment such as distillation towers and rolling mills, achieving direct digital control (DDC) and set value control (SPC).

In the 1970s and 1990s, the development of automation instruments and hardware, as well as the emergence of microcomputers, brought production process automation to a new high-level stage. The main feature of this stage is the centralized control of the entire factory or process flow, the application of computer systems for multi parameter comprehensive control, or the use of multiple computers for hierarchical comprehensive control and participation in business management of the production process.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the concepts of "people-oriented" and "energy-saving and environmental protection" have deeply penetrated people's hearts, and factory automation is developing towards comprehensive factory automation (also known as full automation). According to a survey and analysis by the American Academy of Sciences, adopting integrated control throughout the entire factory can improve product quality by 2-5 times, increase production efficiency by 40-70%, increase equipment utilization by 2-3 times, shorten production cycles by 30-60%, and increase engineer work capacity by 3-5 times.

4、 Transformation: Intelligent Manufacturing in the Industry 4.0 Era

Nowadays, humanity has ushered in the era of Industry 4.0, and the Internet of Things and manufacturing services have ushered in the "Industry 4.0" dominated by intelligent manufacturing. Its aim is to transform the manufacturing industry towards intelligence by fully utilizing information and communication technology and the combination of virtual systems in cyberspace - cyber physical systems.

As a representative of the high level of intelligence in the manufacturing industry, the automotive industry has taken the lead in testing Industry 4.0 with companies such as Mercedes Benz, BMW Group, Volkswagen Group, and Bosch. In China, companies engaged in automobile manufacturing have also begun to consider the transformation of the 4.0 era, and for example, Dongfeng Nissan factory has become a pioneer in the "Industry 4.0" era. In 2017, Dongfeng Nissan fully implemented the "i-Plan", and its "Intelligent Manufacturing Quality" is achieved through the intelligent upgrading of manufacturing technology, factory automation transformation, the construction of advanced engineering technology centers, and the use of digital development platforms, intelligent precision manufacturing, and information-based quality management to achieve "intelligent" manufacturing quality. For example:

1. Comprehensively enhance factory automation to ensure high-quality product output

 In 2016, Dongfeng Nissan's four locations and five factories fully introduced new flexible and intensive automatic production lines, which can achieve order based production of the entire vehicle series, reduce the footprint by 30% to 50%, and reduce the inventory of complete vehicles and components by 20%. The automation rate will continue to improve in the next three years. For example, advanced automation technology is being widely applied in stamping technology, welding workshops, painting workshops, resin workshops, and so on.

In terms of final assembly, automated assembly of dashboard and engine&New technology projects such as automatic transmission assembly and the application of new robots have also completed preliminary development. Among them, newly introduced automation improvement projects such as automatic wheel rim film coating and automatic fuel tank sorting have increased the automation rate to 12.5% (the industry average automation rate is 7-8%), which is at the leading level in the industry.

2. Utilize forward-looking intelligent technology to incorporate technology into the core of products

In terms of forward-looking intelligent technology, Dongfeng Nissan put into use the first "integrated system" advanced engineering technology center (AEP) in China in 2016. The newly completed AEP will undertake three major functions: creating a new intelligent green factory, simultaneous product development, system construction, and expert talent cultivation. It will provide a digital development platform, intelligent precision manufacturing tools, and three intelligent means of big data quality management. Its highlight technologies include VR virtual evaluation technology, 3D printing rapid prototyping, green friendly robots, laser online measurement, machine perception and IoT, blue light scanning, and ultrasonic welding point detection, continuously improving the quality of intelligent manufacturing.

3. Full process intelligent monitoring system, realizing automatic early warning of production line

In terms of quality control, Dongfeng Nissan Engine Factory applies the concept of intelligent manufacturing. The entire system assigns an ID card to each product and automatically collects data from each project. Through the unique identity assigned, relevant information is concatenated to form a complete trajectory of data; The accurate collection of data has expanded infinite possibilities for the application of data. Products, equipment, production lines, models, and other dimensions can be accurately tracked, and automatic warning of production lines can be achieved to prevent the outflow of defective products.

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