Research in the Automotive Manufacturing sector

We have carried out observational work and learning opportunities development in one company, a luxury car maker. Like nearly all automotive companies today, this company has placed a huge emphasis on the use of process improvement methodologies to improve the quality and reduce the manufacturing costs of its cars.

Based on our research in the pharmaceuticals manufacturing sector, we knew there interesting mathematical issues around the use of statistical concepts in process improvement, particularly in the set of techniques known as Statistical Process Control (SPC). We therefore inquired into how the car company used SPC in its factories, and how it developed SPC concepts in its training.

As a result of meeting trainers and observing training of shopfloor employees, we noted a particularly problematic aspect around the notion of process capability (a measure of how well the manufacturing outputs compare to the target specifications in each part of the manufacturing process), and worked with the trainers to co-develop some tools and learning opportunities to help employees better engage with the statistical concepts involved. We have now trialed the learning opportunities successfully in two of the company's factories. Follow the link below to see video demonstrations of the tools.

Learning opportunities for this sector

Statistical Process Control - Process capability

Publications about this sector

[in preparation]