Car customization drives success at innovative SAIC Maxus plant
With the mass production of his Model T car in 1909, Henry Ford famously said, “You can have any color you want, as long as it’s black.”
More than a century later, manufacturing has transformed beyond the imagination of that pioneer.
In fact, a Fourth Industrial Revolution is taking place in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, at the SAIC Maxus plant.
Most people imagine a car plant churns out identical vehicles. But not this one, which is attracting the attention of manufacturers around the world.
First, the specification of a vehicle can be chosen online. SAIC has developed a smartphone app, which allows customers to experiment with the appearance and functions of their vehicle. From the paint, wheels and interior trim to electrical equipment, there are thousands of options.
This level of personalization is a move by SAIC Motors to adopt a Customer To Business model. C2B means the manufacturer builds cars according to customers’ specific demands. Through the online platform, SAIC receives comments and ideas directly from the buyers.
Last month, I was shown the final processes in building a G10 minivan by the general manager of the plant.
Each vehicle has its own ID, which is scanned by the production line to identify which of the hundreds of thousands of parts need to be applied.
Previously, a paper checklist was used and workers wrote down what process had been completed. Now,
each of the 1,400 line workers has an electronic pad linked to the product manufacturing system. This guarantees no mistakes in the creation of each tailor-made vehicle.
This open-line system can be connected to any device. It means even the director of the factory can monitor the performance of the production line on his smartphone while he sits in a meeting.
Once a vehicle has gone through all the stages of manufacture it enters an evaluation area where a final check ensures every option has been applied.
Then a quality inspection looks for inconsistencies or mistakes.
So why go to the trouble of building individualized cars when it’s easier to make identical ones? The answer boils down to data harvesting. All the information from customers and the production line is processed and used to increase efficiency and standards at the plant.
The results have been startling: SAIC has improved its sales and reduced costs with the C2B model.
Fresh from his meeting, director Wang Ying came out to answer questions. I raised the possibility of gasoline vehicles not being produced at the plant in the future.
He said: “That’s why we economize all the products on the same line; electric cars and hybrids are all on the same line. That improves efficiency.”
“Also, I think in the near future FCV (hydrogen fuel cell vehicles) will come on this line as well,” he added.
As for the future of personal transport, Wang was adamant about one thing: “You have to do this right from the design. If the design is finished, you cannot change anything.”
With one eye on the future of personal transport, SAIC is clearly well prepared and willing to push boundaries in order to succeed.