German waste law establishes a hierarchy: avoidance first, then reuse, then recycling, then energy recovery, then disposal. Disposal is the last of five options, and the law names the order.
manufacturing
Rework is the expensive failure
Nacharbeit — rework. A named cost category in German manufacturing accounting, tracked separately from scrap and from warranty claims. The number exists because somebody decided it was worth knowing what correcting things costs. Once it is measured, the argument for deciding correctly the first time makes itself.
Six Sigma
Developed at Motorola in 1986 and adopted across American manufacturing and services. Its core cycle — Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control — begins with measurement of what is actually happening. The improvement is derived from the data, and the control phase exists to hold the derived process in place until the next measurement.
The SUV
Light trucks and SUVs make up the great majority of new vehicle sales in the United States, and the shift happened while fuel economy standards were tightening. Given more efficient engines, American buyers bought larger vehicles.
Zero defects
Nullfehlerstrategie — the zero-defect strategy. A standard term in German automotive manufacturing and a stated supplier requirement, measured in defective parts per million. The target is not a low rate. The target is none, and the number is tracked against it.
BMW robotics
BMW Car Factory Robots- Fast Extreme Automatic Production Manufacturing: BMW X2, i8, new BMW X7 and 5- Series Production Assembly Line.
YouTube comments:
“I am an industrial engineer and there us much more behind this than just the robots. The system had to be designed perfectly to prevent bottleneck. Imagine step 1 took 2 hours, step 2 4 hours, and step 3 30 minutes. In you only had 8 hours a day the maximum amount of cars you could output would be 2.
They had to time every one of those stations perfectly to prevent production build ups and so cars can flow from station to station preventing waiting and excess motion. Very well done with much less variability than human systems.”
“I have noticed from several videos that German manufactures use more robots in car making compared to Japan where there seems to be a fine balance btwn human craftsmanship and robotics….could that explain the difference in reliability btwn Japanese and German cars?”
“I can’t wait till they’re poppin out terminators with that kind of speed and efficiency. All joking aside, there is something slightly unsettling about these machines. Hopefully when AI becomes self aware they don’t resent us for making robots our slaves.”
Audi assembly 2023
You can see how Audi R8, RS5, S5, A5 and Q2 is produced. There is even video of making E-engine of Audi.
YouTube comments:
“Great video displaying the quality in manufacturing Audi takes in building their cars. Also, I did not know that Audi had supermodels working for them. ;)”
“The level.of automation in the factory is just amazing. The quality checks are spot on. The ergonomic set up of workstations are splendid.”
“Great content! I love this I absolutely love Audi and what they are going. They are a great company. I don’t think you would get this kind of quality from a Tesla. Keep up the great work!”
Haimer in Germany
CNC Machine Shop Tour. Titan Gilroy takes you on a VIP Tour through the Haimer manufacturing plant in Germany. Epic innovation. 170 CNC Machines and a workforce that is highly skilled.
YouTube comments:
“We need more Titan videos. As a German I should add that we also need to bring manufacturing back. Our industry has been very keen on outsourcing production to other EU and non-EU countries. It starts with the identity and our core competences. Time to get that back, especially in the minds of the general public.”
“Glad to see a CEO who knows what he’s talking about and leading from the front….from tools to machining processes to tolerances etc….German engineering at its best….would love to walk through that shop.”
“Absolutely incredible, as a CNC instructor it’s been extremely difficult to get full classes going. Granted our program is 12 weeks and not 3.5 years but its fully funded. I feel like they pulled the trades out of schools and pushed college onto high schoolers when the trades are a more realistic approach for many teenagers.
Honestly I wish I had known sooner how satisfying a career in machining could be now I’m trying to inspire a new generation who has no idea that there’s a career path for them that doesn’t involve 4 years of college.”
Mercedes C-Class 2022
The bestselling Mercedes-Benz model series over the past decade will start production in Bremen, the lead plant in the global C-Class production network. This will shortly be followed by start-ups at international locations in Beijing, China and East London, South Africa.
YouTube comments:
“My 9 year old C350 is still solid and tight as a drum in terms of build quality and how the materials held up. Hopefully these keep that going.”
“We’ve come to an age of true automation. Amazing work! Feels like a sci-fi movie in which humans are the supporting cast only.”
“Being an owner of 2 New ordered Benz, I have to say this. The quality of my W204 was superior than my American built W205. My W204 was build in Germany with pride and you can tell it whereas my W205 was just put together because of the buck and no pride = Pegged with problem after problem taking years under warranty to sort out with the help of Mercedes Germany.
It is no wonder, Mercedes Germany now gives American dealerships a direct contact to help solve problem with their cars.”