What a race-fest for the motor racing enthusiasts this
weekend! A GP (even though fairly late in the evening) plus a big race meeting
at Bira, with Formula BMW, the Asian Touring Car series and the Porsche Cup Asia
on the same bill.
All of these categories are hotly contested, and have Thai
representation at the pointy end, so it would be worthwhile coming along to
cheer on the locals. In the Formula BMW’s, Robert T. Boughey (Team Meritus) is
the sole Thai driver in the Formula BMW Asia field. The 22 year old was runner
up in the Rookie Cup last year, and began the season determined to clinch the
championship proper this time around. His victory, and his maiden one was in
Bahrain in April and his second place finish in Sepang last month, puts him
fourth on the points score going into Rounds 5 and 6.
Although Boughey is confident of a good showing in his
upcoming home races - current championship leader Salman Al Khalifa (BAH/Team
E-Rain) will be difficult to topple. However, the truly pan-Asian field is
packed to the gills this year with talent. Another sensation is 15 year old
Armaan Ebrahim (Team E-Rain), who scored his maiden victory last month in just
his fourth outing in the car to put him second on the points, closely followed
by 19 year old fellow Rookie Charlie-Ro Charlez (MAS/Team Meritus).
In the Porsche Cup there is the ever-youthful Natavude, who
is one of the most polished drivers in Thailand, and always my pick for honours,
though in this very hotly contested series too, there are a number of drivers
all trying to get on the top step, including reigning British Touring Car
champion 18 year old Jonathan Cocker, last year’s Porsche Cup winner Matthew
Marsh and Malaysia’s Rizal Ramli. On the tight Bira circuit, expect some paint
exchanges in this group. Natavud has a narrow points lead from Cocker and
Vuthikorn (Thailand).
In the Asian Touring Cars, Franz Engler currently leads from Mod Farique
Hairuman and experienced local Thai, Prutirat Seriroengrith.
Well, it takes under 2 hours to build the engines, and your
car can be ready around 16 hours after that! Obviously, the faster you can screw
one together, the more efficient your plant, and the more profit per vehicle. So
which company is most efficient? Do you have to ask? Toyota, scores again.
Nissan
Frontier
According to the annual Harbour Report released last week,
Toyota has passed Nissan as the most efficient producer of vehicles in North
America. Auto News also reported that the General Motors Oshawa, Ontario, No. 1
plant passed Nissan’s Altima line in Smyrna, Tennessee, as the most efficient
assembly plant in North America, using 15.85 labor hours per vehicle. The Oshawa
No. 1 plant produces the Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo cars.
Harbour Consulting of Troy, Mich., measures the productivity
of North America’s automobile factories. Toyota Motor Corp. cut its total
labor hours per vehicle 5.5 percent from last year’s study to 27.90 hours,
according to the report. Total hours are calculated using production at
stamping, power-train and assembly operations.
“Toyota’s labor productivity lead equates to a $350 to
$500 per vehicle cost advantage relative to domestic manufacturers,” said
Harbour President Ron Harbour. He noted that Toyota has placed more emphasis on
the Toyota Production System and the automaker is aggressively spreading
standardized manufacturing processes throughout its plants.
Nissan, traditionally the leader in assembly plant
productivity, saw its overall labor hours per vehicle climb 4.8 percent to 29.43
hours. The reason: The automaker introduced several redesigned products in 2004,
including the Maxima sedan, Pathfinder SUV and the Frontier pickup at its Smyrna
plant.
Also, the Altima line at the Smyrna plant, which last year
ranked No. 1 at 15.33 labor hours per vehicle, scored 16.10 hours per vehicle in
this year’s report. Yet the Altima, Maxima and Xterra SUV lines at Smyrna
placed among the top 10 assembly plants in hours per vehicle.
In the overall labor measurement, the Big 3 scored within 2.6
labor hours per vehicle of each other - ranging from 34.33 hours for GM to 36.9
hours for Ford Motor Co. Both Ford and DaimlerChrysler improved their total
hours-per-vehicle score 4.2 percent from last year, while GM’s score improved
2.5 percent.
Over the past three years, DaimlerChrysler’s total hours
score on the report has improved 19 percent. And the automaker’s Belvedere,
Illinois, plant broke into the list of top 10 vehicle assembly plants. The
plant, which builds the Dodge Neon car and is preparing to convert to a
five-door vehicle that will replace the Neon, ranked No. 7 on the list.
“Unlike its past recoveries, Chrysler is making broad improvements that
permeate beyond manufacturing,” Harbour said. “This will provide more
consistency in future market fluctuations.”
Among average assembly plant productivity, the New United
Motor Manufacturing Inc. plant in Fremont, Calif., was the top-ranked company at
21.78 hours per vehicle, down 0.6 percent from last year’s report. The plant
is a joint venture between GM and Toyota. (Amazing just who is in bed with whom,
at any one time, in the auto industry!)
GM ranked second in average assembly plant productivity at
23.09 hours per vehicle. In fact, four of the top 10 assembly plants were GM
plants.
Mitsubishi Motors Corp.’s (world-wide) decline in sales
hurt the productivity score of its plant in Normal, Illinois, which ranked last
among company averages. The plant saw its labor hours per vehicle jump 17.5
percent from last year’s report to 29.89 hours per vehicle. The Harbour Report
also measures productivity at stamping and engine building operations. Toyota
shines in both areas. Toyota led in stamping productivity at 1.37 hours per
vehicle, a 28.3 percent gain from last year’s report. Harbour noted that
Toyota got a report-record 775 average parts per hour from its stamping
operations.
Toyota’s four-cylinder engine plant in Buffalo, W.
Vancouver, was top-ranked in the report, needing only 1.88 labor hours per
engine. But GM had four engine plants ranked in the report’s top 10, with the
Tonawanda, N.Y., plant ranked No. 3, and the Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant at
No. 4.
