2. Production scheduling is the allocation of resources and the
sequencing of tasks to produce goods and services. Production
scheduling specifies the time each job starts and completes on
each machine
4. STAMPING SHOP
The stamping shop is where the body parts for a vehicle are stamped out of
huge coils of steel. Large stamping presses are arranged in a row connected
by conveyor. At the start of one row of pressesk sheets of steel are cut from
the coil and fed into te first press. After the first press stamps the basic shape
of the body part it is routed to the nest press where the press may crate
acurved shape. From there it is passed to a press that punches holes, until
finally the finished part rolls off of the press line. In Toyota, waste is avoided
by making sure that the presses are maintained and function at a high level
of precision.
5. BODY SHOP
The body shop is where a vehicle is born where it gets its identity. At body
start, each vehicle gets a unique body number and is assigned a vehicle
identification number (VIN). From this point on, each vehicle is processed
individually throghout the production process. The body numberis used to
tarack the vehicle and look up the vehicle specifications so that the exact body
style is welded together to form the completed body shell. The body is highly
automated; most of the work is erformed by robots that are programmed to
weld each of the vehicle panels together to form the body shell. Toyota has
made particular innovations in the body shop by using robots with the
flexibility ot build different types of body parts.
6. PAINT SHOP
Color is applied to the vehicle at the paint shop. The shop consists of multiple paint
booths that use robots to spray paint the body shells coming from the body shop. As
the vehicle bodly shells enter the paint shop, they are dipped in a solution that covers
the body with a protective coating. Then they are organized by color and set to one of
the paint booths. Because of environmental considerations vehicals are painted in
small batches of the same color.
ASSEMBLY SHOP
The assembly shop is the most labor-intensive shop. Most of the parts are
installed by hand by team members working in small teams. Each team is
responsible for the work performed during one process cycle at one
workstation. The approximate number of steps in assembling a car is 353.
7. PLASTIC SHOP
The plastic shop is not part of the in-line process of the assemly plant, it provides
key components that must be occur at the same time with the assembly process.
Molding process is used to create plastic parts such as instrument panels and
bumpers. Because these parts are colored , they arrive at the assembly line on
dollies in the exact sequence of the vehicles.
INSPECTION
After the vehicle is completed and comes off the main assembly line it is driven to
the inspection line. The primary purpose of this inspection is to conduct
functionality tests on such components as the engine, transmission, brakes, and
air bags. Next cars are subject to water-pressure testing to ensure that the vehicle
is leak proof. All teams involved in the assembly process are instructed to stop the
line in the event a defect is detected or a problem identified to repair it.
8. SALES LINE
The final step before the vehicle leaves the plant is the sales line. The
point at which vehicle’s owner is transferred from manufacturing
division to the sales division is the sale line. Manufacturing team
member scans the vehicle into the plant compter system to change
the status to “sold” and the sales team change the status to
“bought”.
PRODUCTION SCHEDULING
The production schedule is created once a month from the sales order and
forecast.
Scheduling Inputs:
The ‘N’ month is considereda firm order commitment, and “N+1” and “N+2” are
considered preliminary forecasts. The difference between the firm orders versus
the forecast is that once the firm order is submitted from sales to manufacturing,
the volume of vehicles by model by plant is frozen.
9. SCHEDULING PROCESS
The first step in creating the production schedule is to use the sales order and
forecast data to crate individual records for each vehicle and assign a unique
reference number. That step is necessary because each vehicle has to be
assigned to a production slot. A Unique Reference Number (URN) is assigned to
identify vehicles. A heijunka processs is used to schedule the vehicles y , by line,
by plant. Heijunka(or smoothing) is a technique to avoid supply chain work load
imbalance. However the concept of heijunka is to create a level, Or smooth,
production plan. This concept of heijunka is also called “mixed model
production.“ The benefit of heijunka within the plant is to smooth capacity
requirements and balance use of resources. Toyota makes sure that its parts
suppliers also see a level load. Once the heijunka process is completed, then
each order is assigned the scheduled production day. This production schedule is
sent to sales division to advise its members of each vehicles’s UniqueReference
Number.
10. PRODUCTION SEQUENCE
Each plant must determine the exact production sequence within
each production day. The sequence is determined by the
operational conditions within each plant. The daily production plan
is the input, and the output is a production sequence for each day.
This production sequence is used by the plant to create the parts
orders. Its also use as input to the asembly line control system.
11. WHY IS HEIJUNKA IMPORTANT?
Heijunka is one of the foundational process that has enabled Toyota’s extended
supply chain to operate as if it is an extension of the TPS(Toyota Production
System). Multiple tiers of suppliers exist. Tier 1 suppliers receive their orders
directly from the OEM and are responsible for producing parts based on the pickup
schedule provided by Toyota. Tier 2 suppliers are the tier 1’s direct suppliers and
receive their orders from the tier 1 suppliers; they must produce parts or material
based on he tier 1 supplier schedule. This process continues backward throughout
the network of suppliers. Once the parts arrive at the assembly plants, they come
under the control of the internal logistics group. Internal logistics is responsible for
moving parts from the dock to the line side just-in-time. Kanbans are used to signal
when the parts are needed for each line side station. Heijunka ensures a smooth
flow of parts with in the plant. Once the vehicles are produced, they are ready for
shipment to dealers.
12. WHY IS PRODUCTION SEQUENCE IMPORTANT?
The sequence the vehicle is produced within the day is important because the
assembly plant operations need to be well balanced to ensure that there are no
bottlenecks within the production process or overburden on selected teams.
Toyota focus is to guarantee smooth operations throughout the assembly
process. In an assembly plant , there are hudreds of work stations along the line
that install parts on the vehicle as the vehicle body passes through. The objective
is to make sure that each work team’s effort is similar and that the work can be
completed within the takt time. Therefore , the production sequence is
established based on smoothing options that create extra work for one or more
work teams.
