BMW Copes with Aging Workforce by Making Simple Changes on Assembly Line

For about $50,000, BMW may have begun solving a problem that will be plaguing many automakers: an aging work force. It's not just automakers that will be facing this problem, however, as populations worldwide are getting older; by 2020, the number of people over 65-years old is expected to increase to 16% in America, 21.6% in Germany, and over 27% in Japan.

In order to counteract this, BMW has taken it upon itself to figure out how to make its workplaces easier to work in and more efficient for older workers.

Instead of solving the "old worker" problem by forcibly retiring its workers after a certain age, BMW has decided to help its workers help themselves. An experiment was performed by aging one assembly line to the point where the average worker's age was 47-years old. This is significant, because 47 is the projected age of BMW workers by 2017.

Helmut Mauermann, a BMW production manager, told CBS news: "[Firing] might be the simple way to solve the problem, but we have a social contract within Germany, or at the BMW group, where we say, that's not the solution we will look for - especially since we don't have enough younger people to replace [them with], so it wouldn't work even if we wanted to."

The point of this rearrangement was to see how the assembly workers behaved and then how they themselves would improve the work environment. Some examples include sore feet leading to custom shoes and wooden floors, as well as unique chairs rigged to fit on the assembly line. Other "simple" solutions were newer computer monitors with more-legible letters and more ergonomic tools.

All in all, BMW said it made 70 small changes in the workplace with the total cost of the project, including lost time, estimated at $50,000.

Mauermann continues, "All these changes are extremely obvious, but you won't come to these ideas sitting somewhere in an office and then thinking, 'How can I change the working place of a worker who is half a mile away?'...It's so simple, but it seems to work."

The best part about the project? According to the Bavarian automaker, productivity went up seven percent, non-attendance fell below the factory's average and the assembly line's defect rate dropped to zero!

If BMW's project works (and it seems to, as they plan to spread the improvements to other plants), this is going to be the beginning of people working longer and more comfortably.

By Phil Alex

Source: CBS News

[Note: Photos do not depict the assembly line mentioned in the article]

BMW Copes with Aging Workforce by Making Simple Changes on Assembly Line

For about $50,000, BMW may have begun solving a problem that will be plaguing many automakers: an aging work force. It's not just automakers that will be facing this problem, however, as populations worldwide are getting older; by 2020, the number of people over 65-years old is expected to increase to 16% in America, 21.6% in Germany, and over 27% in Japan.

In order to counteract this, BMW has taken it upon itself to figure out how to make its workplaces easier to work in and more efficient for older workers.

Instead of solving the "old worker" problem by forcibly retiring its workers after a certain age, BMW has decided to help its workers help themselves. An experiment was performed by aging one assembly line to the point where the average worker's age was 47-years old. This is significant, because 47 is the projected age of BMW workers by 2017.

Helmut Mauermann, a BMW production manager, told CBS news: "[Firing] might be the simple way to solve the problem, but we have a social contract within Germany, or at the BMW group, where we say, that's not the solution we will look for - especially since we don't have enough younger people to replace [them with], so it wouldn't work even if we wanted to."

The point of this rearrangement was to see how the assembly workers behaved and then how they themselves would improve the work environment. Some examples include sore feet leading to custom shoes and wooden floors, as well as unique chairs rigged to fit on the assembly line. Other "simple" solutions were newer computer monitors with more-legible letters and more ergonomic tools.

All in all, BMW said it made 70 small changes in the workplace with the total cost of the project, including lost time, estimated at $50,000.

Mauermann continues, "All these changes are extremely obvious, but you won't come to these ideas sitting somewhere in an office and then thinking, 'How can I change the working place of a worker who is half a mile away?'...It's so simple, but it seems to work."

The best part about the project? According to the Bavarian automaker, productivity went up seven percent, non-attendance fell below the factory's average and the assembly line's defect rate dropped to zero!

If BMW's project works (and it seems to, as they plan to spread the improvements to other plants), this is going to be the beginning of people working longer and more comfortably.

By Phil Alex

Source: CBS News

[Note: Photos do not depict the assembly line mentioned in the article]

It’s What he Would've Wanted... Cruisin’ Caskets for the Late Gear Head

When it comes to coffins, there are all shapes and sizes suited to just about any budget. From a plywood box with rope pullies to a polished mahogany number with brass handles, there's something for everyone.

And now, there's something for the tragically dead car aficionado in the family. No doubt killed doing something equal parts foolish and awesome, what better send off is there than one of Danny Mendez's Cruisin' Caskets...

Made of fibreglass with a hinged-top and upholstered interior, buyers can customize everything from the color to the type of rims.

Mendez's site only shows the Mercury-shaped casket along with some seemingly out of place pictures of plastic cars and motorcycles, though other shapes can be custom ordered. Just imagine cruisin' to heaven (knock on wood) in a '68 GTO or a '47 Buick Woody wagon...

Mendez can be contacted through his site, though prices appear to be on application only.

By Tristan Hankins

Link: Cruisin Caskets

Thanks for the tip Mike!

Toyota and Lexus to Debut Six New Hybrids and EV by 2012

With the recent unveiling of a production-ready Fit / Jazz hybrid by Honda, fellow Japanese automaker Toyota is readying for a big hybrid fight. Undaunted by the recent drop in hybrid sales, Toyota plans to launch six new hybrid models by end of 2012, one of which will be a Vitz / Yaris hybrid.

In a presentation in Detroit on Monday, Toyota Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada explained that two of the six new hybrids will be for Lexus and four for Toyota adding that all of them will be new and not next-generation versions of existing hybrid models.

Some will be hybrid only models (i.e. there will be no gasoline-only variant), though Uchiyamada would not elaborate further as to what body type or segment these new vehicles would be.

The carmaker is also readying an electric vehicle co-developed with Tesla (makers of the all electric Roadster) and possible rival to Nissan's Leaf EV. Uchiyamada has confirmed that this will be shown at the 2010 Los Angeles Motor Show. The new Toyota EV could possibly be the same all-electric small car the automaker had previous stated they were working on.

This comes after a string of recalls (11 million vehicles globally) hurt the brand's image of reliability, something Uchiyamada plants to fix by extending is vehicle development time setting up a team of 100 engineers to audit its production lines.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: WSJ (sub. req)

Toyota and Lexus to Debut Six New Hybrids and EV by 2012

With the recent unveiling of a production-ready Fit / Jazz hybrid by Honda, fellow Japanese automaker Toyota is readying for a big hybrid fight. Undaunted by the recent drop in hybrid sales, Toyota plans to launch six new hybrid models by end of 2012, one of which will be a Vitz / Yaris hybrid.

In a presentation in Detroit on Monday, Toyota Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada explained that two of the six new hybrids will be for Lexus and four for Toyota adding that all of them will be new and not next-generation versions of existing hybrid models.

Some will be hybrid only models (i.e. there will be no gasoline-only variant), though Uchiyamada would not elaborate further as to what body type or segment these new vehicles would be.

The carmaker is also readying an electric vehicle co-developed with Tesla (makers of the all electric Roadster) and possible rival to Nissan's Leaf EV. Uchiyamada has confirmed that this will be shown at the 2010 Los Angeles Motor Show. The new Toyota EV could possibly be the same all-electric small car the automaker had previous stated they were working on.

This comes after a string of recalls (11 million vehicles globally) hurt the brand's image of reliability, something Uchiyamada plants to fix by extending is vehicle development time setting up a team of 100 engineers to audit its production lines.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: WSJ (sub. req)

Paris Preshow: 2011 Hyundai i10 Receives Makeover

Three years after its introduction, Hyundai has given its i10 a mid-cycle facelift, providing the city car with a new front snout that takes styling cues from the ix35 SUV (marketed as the Tucson in the States). Along with the hexagonal grille, the 2011MY i10 gets a reshaped bumper and new headlamps as well as a new set of exterior mirrors that now incorporate turning signals.

For the time being, we only have a single photo of the car's exterior, but it is said that the i10's interior has also received some minor tweaks.

More significant than the styling updates, however, are the changes underneath the hood as the i10 receives a new 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine with 68-horsepower and less than 100g/km CO2 emissions.

The i10 will make its world premiere along with the new ix20 MPV at this month's Paris Auto Show.

2011MY Hyundai i10 Facelift

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2010MY Hyundai i10

Paris Preshow: 2011 Hyundai i10 Receives Makeover

Three years after its introduction, Hyundai has given its i10 a mid-cycle facelift, providing the city car with a new front snout that takes styling cues from the ix35 SUV (marketed as the Tucson in the States). Along with the hexagonal grille, the 2011MY i10 gets a reshaped bumper and new headlamps as well as a new set of exterior mirrors that now incorporate turning signals.

For the time being, we only have a single photo of the car's exterior, but it is said that the i10's interior has also received some minor tweaks.

More significant than the styling updates, however, are the changes underneath the hood as the i10 receives a new 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine with 68-horsepower and less than 100g/km CO2 emissions.

The i10 will make its world premiere along with the new ix20 MPV at this month's Paris Auto Show.

2011MY Hyundai i10 Facelift

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2010MY Hyundai i10

Dontblogaboutthis: New Video and Photos of BMW's Mystery Coupe

A couple of new photos and a fresh video of BMW's Vision EfficientDynamics concept-faced and current 6-Series Coupe-bodied mystery test mule of some sorts have been uploaded on the Bavarian automaker's "Dontblogaboutthis" website.

Aside from providing some different views of the car, the new material doesn't answer any of the questions we all have about the odd-looking matte-black test vehicle, and from what we gather, BMW will continue teasing us up until the Paris Motor Show.

Link / Source: Dontblogaboutthis

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